Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2021 college football season

After falling hard to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff on New Year’s Day, Clemson will nevertheless open the 2021 season in August right back at No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25. Learning from their mistakes after Deshaun Watson left after the 2016 season, pollsters will not penalize Clemson for the loss of Trevor Lawrence thanks to another talented quarterback in the wings.

Dabo Swinney’s team can reload and get right back to winning football games and ACC crowns. In starts against Boston College and Notre Dame while Lawrence was sidelined by COVID-19, DJ Uiagalelei went 59-of-85 for 781 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. While Clemson should be fine at quarterback, they must replace Travis Etienne in the backfield and figure out what went wrong with their defense in a year where the Tigers allowed more than 20 points per game.

A season opener against Georgia on neutral turf in Charlotte will show the country right out of the gate whether the Tigers are still contenders on a national scale. They also have their annual Battle for the Palmetto State against South Carolina to provide another SEC test for their resume. Working against Clemson is the fact that they avoid both Miami and North Carolina in the regular season, which could impact strength of schedule especially if they sustain a loss along the way.