It has been 12 years since Clemson went into a football game as a two-touchdown underdog, and that will be the case when the Tigers open the 2024 season against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 31.
Georgia is opening up as a 13.5-point favorite against Clemson.
That is a big spread for the Clemson-Georgia game, perhaps the largest since the Tigers were a heavy underdog to the Bulldogs in 2003. Of course, Clemson people do not want to remember what happened in that game, which, by the way, was a 30-0 loss to the Bulldogs.
The Clemson-Georgia game, when both teams are at the same level, is usually a competitive game, though the Bulldogs have won seven of the last eight in the series.
Even Clemson’s 45-21 loss to the Bulldogs is 2014 was a tight game going into the fourth quarter. The Tigers trailed just 24-21 heading into the last stanza, but Clemson’s defense finally wore down after its offense produced just one first down and 15 yards of total offense in the second half.
I am not kidding, it was just 15 yards.
Nick Chubb, now with the Cleveland Browns, was a freshman and he ran all over Clemson’s tired defense in the fourth quarter. The Tigers ended the 2014 season with the nation’s No. 1 overall defense.
Why does Vegas think this year’s game is going to be a blowout? Probably the same reason why ESPN and ABC picked the Notre Dame at Texas A&M game as its primetime game instead of Clemson-Georgia.
No one has any faith in Clemson’s football team.
It’s understandable, right?
The Tigers did lose to Duke last season to start the year. Clemson did lose to an average Miami team and to an NC State team that was playing with a backup quarterback.
Yes, Clemson finished the season with five straight wins. But their last two wins, both over SEC teams, looked bad at times.
Clemson did not score an offense touchdown at South Carolina to close the regular season and then needed a last second drive to beat Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik did not look good at times and sometimes went rogue, which cost the Tigers possible victories against Florida State and Miami.
Clemson’s defense was really good all year, but it struggled in the red zone and sometimes gave up long runs or big plays at the most inopportune times.
Then there are the people outside of Clemson’s football building that believe the Tigers will be no good because Dabo Swinney refuses to recruit with NIL and does not use the transfer portal.
Though Clemson has won 30 games in the last three years and is not necessarily in a bad spot compared to other programs, people just don’t seem to believe in Clemson.
Swinney does not feel that way, though. He feels Clemson is close to being back to where it was than most realize.
“We like where our team is. This has been a developing group for the last couple of years with some guys, but they have hung in there,” Swinney said. “They see their opportunity. They believe in Clemson. They believe in who we are.”
But no one else does. That is why the Clemson-Georgia game is a Noon start and why the Bulldogs are a 13.5-point favorite.
Clemson has the Bulldogs right where it wants them.
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