Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and the team run from indoors to outside during the first football practice at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. Friday, February 28, 2025. Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NCAA Insider Makes Extremely Bold Prediction About Clemson Football This Fall

Originally posted on Clemson Tigers on SI | By Jacob Moss | Last updated May 16, 2025 2:00 PM ET

As the college football offseason slowly progresses into June, fans and analysts alike are beginning to consider which teams will be contenders in the fall. The Clemson Tigers, who return key offensive and defensive pieces, have been listed in numerous pre-season College Football Playoff predictions.

While most believe the Tigers will be a very good team in 2025, CBS Sports CFB Analyst Chip Patterson is a bit higher than most. In a recent article outlining his bold predictions for the upcoming season, Patterson had Clemson making it back to the national title game.

"Dabo Swinney has made the College Football Playoff National Championship four times, winning twice," Patterson writes. "Though they have returned to the CFP twice (2020, 2024) since then, they have yet to show that high-end ceiling of the teams that played for it all in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. The 2025 edition of Clemson checks all the boxes for what we have come to believe as a title-winning blueprint for the Tigers."

From @Chip_Patterson: 100 Days Out: College football names, games, storylines to follow as we count down to the 2025 seasonhttps://t.co/rTFc5d6doz pic.twitter.com/QOD601sI0k
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) May 15, 2025

It's not hard to see where Patterson is coming from here, as the Tigers figure to be one of the nation's most talented teams in 2025. In addition to early Heisman favorite Kade Klubnik at QB, Clemson also boasts an impressive group of wideouts, along with several legit NFL players on defense.

Dabo Swinney has built his dynasty on high-level quarterback play, athletic freaks at wideout, and elite production from the defensive front. On paper, the Tigers will finally have all these ingredients again in 2025.

This is the blueprint Patterson referenced in his article, and it's what he believes will lead Clemson back to its first national title game appearance since 2019. This prediction obviously relies on several players living up to lofty expectations, but the potential is definitely there.

The road won't be easy, though, as Clemson will be thrown into the fire in week one against the LSU Tigers before tackling a challenging in-conference slate. If Klubnik and the rest of the Tigers can play up to the level they're capable of, though, Patterson's bold prediction may not end up looking so bold when the confetti has fallen.

This article first appeared on Clemson Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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