National outlets disagree on Clemson's place in ACC

Clemson looks to return to the top of the ACC this season.

by TigerNet Staff - Tue May 07 15:10:36 GMT-04:00 2024

Clemson football looks to make its return to the top of the league after finishing in the middle of the pack last year.

Dabo Swinney seeks his ninth ACC crown in 2024, and where exactly his team fits in the picture after spring ball is disputed.

247Sports slots the Tigers at No. 4 in the newly-expanded 17-team league.

"Clemson checked in at No. 2 in the pre-spring ACC order of finish, but confidence in the Tigers is waning after an underwhelming spring from starting quarterback Cade Klubnik. Third-string Trent Pearman outplayed the former five-star recruit in the spring game. Clemson added five-star receiver TJ Moore and four-star, top-100 prospects Bryant Wesco (WR) and Christian Bentancur (TE), giving us a little hope Klubnik can take steps forward this offseason," 247Sports' Grant Hughes said.

The top trio for 247Sports is Florida State, Miami and NC State.

"Florida State is back for blood after an undefeated regular season, and ACC Championship Game victory prefaced arguably the biggest College Football Playoff snub of all time," Hughes said. "The Seminoles lost a load of talent to the NFL Draft but reloaded with the No. 4 transfer and No. 10 high school recruiting classes. Team insiders have raised concerns that the new talent, including quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, isn't as good as what the Seminoles lost. However, you're the top dog until another team knocks you off your pedestal, right?"

Elsewhere, CBS Sports places Clemson in the No. 2 spot behind the reigning ACC champs.

"There is definitely a 1A/1B conversation to the ACC title race," CBS' Chip Patterson said. "Florida State has the crown for now, and has done enough work in the offseason to retool the roster for another run at a championship. Clemson, meanwhile, is mostly looking for player development to pay off in flipping some of those close losses from 2023 to wins. Clearly it has to start with a step forward for Cade Klubnik, and while that's not a big ask given his talent, tools and the coaching of Garrett Riley, we need to see it before bumping the Tigers into the top spot."

Clemson 2024 scheduled opponents ranked

CBS Sports: No. 1 Florida State, No. 4 NC State, No. 5 Virginia Tech, No. 6 Louisville, No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 15 Pitt, No. 16 Virginia, No. 17 Stanford.

247Sports: No. 1 Florida State, No. 3 NC State, No. 5 Louisville, No. 6 Virginia Tech, No. 13 Pitt, No. 15 Wake Forest, No. 16 Stanford, No. 17 Virginia.