There was a mountain of hype around Clemson football coming into the 2025 season, as Dabo Swinney and the Tigers entered the season ranked No. 4 in the country and with plenty of buzz about a potential national championship run.

A lot of that buzz stemmed from a strong close to the 2024 season that saw Swinney and company win the ACC Championship in dramatic fashion over SMU and then push Texas to the brink in a true road game in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers then returned quarterback Cade Klubnik and a number of other starters from last season's team, many of which are potential first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, giving them one of the most talented rosters in the nation.

Coming into Week 1, many thought there was no better way for the Tigers t

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