After failing to meet lofty expectations last season and missing out on the College Football Playoff, could Clemson bounce back and crash the playoff party this season?

This national outlet thinks the Tigers could potentially do just that.

CBS Sports named Clemson as a “College Football Playoff crasher” candidate – or, in other words, one of the unranked teams “best positioned to wreck expectations, climb the selection committee’s board and unexpectedly crash college football’s biggest postseason party this season.”

Clemson finished a disappointing 7-6 last season and missed the 2026 preseason AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2011.

CBS Sports college football analyst Brad Crawford highlighted Clemson as a dark horse capable of shaking up the 12-team playoff landscape.

Crawford weighed in on what there is to like about Dabo Swinney’s team entering the upcoming campaign.

“Unranked in the preseason AP poll for the first time since 2011, that’s motivation enough for Dabo Swinney, his coaching staff and players,” Crawford wrote. “Clemson’s appeal comes from urgency. This feels like a now-or-never season for Dabo, whose championship reputation has taken hits amid uneven results and an offense that lost its edge. Bringing back Chad Morris as coordinator is a swing toward the tempo, aggression and quarterback development that fueled Clemson’s original rise.

“The Tigers recruit well enough to overwhelm most ACC opponents, and Christopher Vizzina has the confidence of his coach. Swinney has rebuilt his image before, but patience is evaporating after a 7-6 finish. If Morris restores confidence offensively and the defense is disruptive with Sammy Brown and others, Clemson can re-enter the ACC championship and CFP picture.”

Crawford also gave his take on “the worry” for the Tigers.

“There’s many who believe the Tigers are chasing their past rather than building a future,” Crawford wrote. “Morris has not coordinated an elite college offense in years, while Vizzina remains unproven across a full season. After multiple staff resets and declining consistency, Swinney must prove nostalgia can produce modern results again.”

Clemson opens the season on Sept. 5 with a huge road test in a very hostile environment at LSU.

Crawford added that how Clemson responds to the opener – whether it be victory or defeat — could “determine this team’s overall value.”

“Win or lose, how the Tigers respond to the result of their season opener at LSU could determine this team’s overall value,” Crawford wrote. “On one hand, it’s a major change for Clemson to take back some of that national recognition with an upset of Lane Kiffin’s team on the road. On the other, a loss doesn’t necessarily wreck the campaign unless Week 1 issues prove uncorrectable and show up again against Miami, Virginia Tech and others in league play.”

Other notable potential “CFP crashers” on the CBS Sports list include Clemson’s in-state rival, South Carolina, and former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott’s Virginia team. The rest of the list includes Florida, Boise State, Oklahoma State, TCU and UNLV.

Beginning this year, the 12 participating schools in the CFP bracket are the conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, as well as the highest-ranked team from the Group of 6, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame will be included in the playoff if it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings.

Despite listing Clemson as a potential CFP crasher, Crawford’s latest bowl projections don’t have the Tigers making the playoff, but instead playing in the Gator Bowl vs. Oklahoma and former Clemson defensive coordinator/current OU head coach Brent Venables.