Joel Klatt: Clemson has made the ACC a two-horse race alongside Miami
It’s not uncommon to see fans or analysts making sweeping generalizations during the first week or two of college football, only to come away with a very different impression several weeks later. Or in the case of Clemson, only a few weeks later.
The Tigers were gutted by the Georgia Bulldogs in the season opener, and all manner of questions poured out about Clemson.
One analyst, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt, posited a what if scenario for the team at the time. He suggested that maybe there was a world where things turned around.
“Maybe it will, and I hope it does,” Klatt said after Week 1. “Because Cade (Klubnik), I think, is still a really good player. And maybe that’s a team that can still develop and go on and have a really good year in what is unquestionably a soft league. And I hope that’s the case.”
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Right about now that take is looking fairly prescient.
More importantly, it signifies an important change for the ACC. This league might just be a little more competitive than many would have thought a few weeks ago.
“I love seeing teams, whether it’s prove me wrong or develop, I just love when teams get better,” Klatt said. “And Dabo and Clemson went to work after that Georgia game, and you know what? Georgia is elite. And you know what, they played great in that first week and Clemson couldn’t do anything offensively. And then you look up and you’re like it’s the same Clemson offense, this offense has just struggled and struggled and struggled.
“And yet it doesn’t make sense because Klubnik is a really talented player and Garrett Riley, I mean he took a team to a national championship game as offensive coordinator. He was the TCU offensive coordinator a few years ago with Max Duggan. And you’re like, ‘Why isn’t this working?’ And it’s like, bam, all the sudden it clicks. And now Clemson, all they do is find the end zone. All they do is find the end zone.”
Clemson is now ranked in the top 20 nationally in both major offensive categories — 15th in scoring offense and 18th in total offense.
The Tigers are once again firing on all cylinders. Much to the satisfaction of everyone hoping for a compelling ACC title race.
“I’m really happy for them that they have developed into that style of offense and now this league in the ACC looks more like a two-horse race than the single-horse race it was a few weeks ago, with Miami,” Klatt said. “So I’m fired up for that.”