Clemson Football: 5 takeaways from national title-winning 2018 season

1. The weak schedule was meaningless

Clemson got some grief for not playing the hardest schedule en route to making the national championship. Its non-conference slate was average at best, with its toughest game being a road tilt with Texas A&M. The Tigers needed a late stop on a two-point conversion to hold the Aggies back after the Tigers nearly blew two 15-point leads. The Aggies racked up 501 yards of offense and gained 25 first downs to Clemson’s 14. Not exactly an inspiring performance.

The rest of Clemson’s non-conference schedule featured cupcakes in Furman and Georgia Southern, as well as a weak six-win South Carolina at home. The Tigers’ conference schedule offered little resistance either, with the ACC having a down year without traditional powerhouses Florida State, Louisville, Miami (FL) or Virginia Tech. The ACC Title Game featured seven-win Pittsburgh.

So forgive people for saying that Clemson wasn’t tested and potentially overrated, considering Notre Dame and Alabama each had far better wins under their belts. In the end however, it was all a moot point. The Tigers dismantled the two teams and proved it was indeed the best team in college football, proving you should throw the schedule out the window.

Clemson will rely on Texas A&M and bounce backs from Florida State, Louisville and South Carolina to not hear this discussion again.