CLEMSON – In its last three season-openers, Clemson has scored just 20 combined points.

And, not surprisingly, all three games have resulted in losses.

In 2023, the Tigers amassed 422 yards against Duke, but gave away two fumbles, missed two chip-shot field goals and threw an interception to negate any offensive success. They finished with just seven points in a 28-7 loss.

One year later, Clemson opened its season against top-ranked Georgia. Again, thanks to early offensive blunders, the Tigers struggled in a 34-3 loss in Atlanta.

In 2025, the Tigers, a preseason top-five, squandered late opportunities and abandoned the running game way too early, while blowing a seven-point halftime lead for a 17-10 loss at Memorial Stadium. Sandwiched in between big season-opening wins against Georgia Tech in 2022 and Wake Forest in 2020, Clemson also lost another 10-3 opener to Georgia in 2021.

It’s safe to say that in the 2020s, season-openers have been turbulent for Clemson, which has a 2-4 record in that span. In head coach Dabo Swinney’s tenure, dating back to his first season-opener as the Tigers’ leader in 2009, Clemson has a 12-5 record to start the season.

That means that 80 percent of Swinney’s losses to open a season have come in the last five years, and that the Tigers are hungry to break a painful streak, the longest of any kind in Swinney’s tenure.

Sure, all four of the recent losses came at the hands of Power 4 teams, while several of the earlier wins were against Group of 6 schools. And yes, Georgia was responsible for decimating many teams besides the Tigers in 2021 and 2024. Still, no matter the opponent, season-openers are often indicative of Clemson’s seasons to come.

Under Swinney, the Tigers have won nine ACC Championships. In those winning seasons, Clemson is 8-1 in opening games, with all but two being played at home. In the games away from Death Valley in championship season openers, the Tigers are 1-1, with both games being played in Atlanta.

Swinney is 3-4 against SEC teams to start the season and 3-1 against ACC teams.

A season-opening win or loss against a non-conference team is not nearly as important as an ACC matchup, one that could ultimately decide who gets to play for a league championship in December. Especially now with an extended, 12-team College football Playoff, one loss in the first week will most likely not keep a good team out of the mix in the final stretch of the season.

However, a big win to start the year, or even just a strong showing, can entirely change the momentum of a season, especially for a Tigers’ team that has recently struggled tremendously to begin the year.

Take the last three seasons.

Following the Duke loss, which came after the Tigers won an ACC Championship in 2022, all momentum was sucked out of a team with high expectations. Though they won their next two games against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic, the Tigers suffered losses in three of their first five ACC games.

It took the rest of the season to build momentum again to head into the 2024 season with a Gator Bowl win.

The momentum got erased again with the 34-3 stomping by Georgia, though Clemson recovered quicker this time, blasting off a six-game win streak that helped them make it to the ACC Championship game.

Then, the hype was at an all-time high last summer as the reigning conference champions returned most of their starting production for 2025. Clemson and LSU were set to square off in an epic matchup at Death Valley. Clemson was the clear favorite. Momentum was high.

And then they lost, and it was not in a shootout or a particularly well-played defensive battle. The Tigers squandered chances to put the game away and started the season 0-1. Before Clemson fans could reconcile what had happened, the Tigers were 1-3, and momentum never recovered in a 7-6 finish.

The early LSU loss did not cause Clemson to lose to Syracuse at home one month later. The Tigers of Baton Rouge did not kick the last-second field goal to defeat Clemson at Georgia Tech. But the early defeat did change expectations and team morale. 

Now, entering the 2026 season, Clemson is in a position it has not been in but only once in the 2020s and in Swinney’s tenure. The Tigers are a clear underdog against LSU in their season-opening rematch opportunity at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5, with LSU currently favored to win by double-digits.

Swinney is 1-2 in his tenure in season-openers the Tigers are not favored to win and 0-1 when double-digit underdogs. Before the win over Clemson last year, on the other hand, LSU lost its last five season-openers.

Both sides will bring in lots of new energy that was not in Death Valley last season. LSU has a new head coach and 40 new transfer players. Clemson brings in a new offensive coordinator in Chad Morris, several new assistants, and a new quarterback under center.

With all of the changes, a win at LSU would make a huge statement for Swinney and the Tigers, and put an end to the season-opening slump. Additionally, it would have huge implications for what Clemson could do in its ACC schedule.

However, a demoralizing loss would put the Tigers in danger of suffering the same momentum slips they have in the last three openers. If Clemson has ACC Championship and, thus, College Football Playoff hopes, it cannot afford to keep the opening curse going.

But as longtime Clemson fans know, sometimes Swinney and the Tigers are at their best when they are underdogs.