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College football will undoubtedly hold many surprises this fall and Clemson is a team in a great spot to deliver. Special guest Lawton Swann of Clemson Sports Talk (web, podcast and radio) provides a great perspective on what could be a solid rebound season for the Tigers. The ACC Nation early season Composite Power Rankings lists Clemson at No. 2 in the ACC as does the SP+. But, there’s a shift on the money side to SMU as No. 2.
Doing a quick check on the latest betting numbers indicates Miami as the heavy favorite in the conference followed by SMU and Louisville. FanDuel is saying the ACC championship will be a three-way race between these teams with Clemson just outside the trio. The Tigers do not have SMU and Louisville on their schedule this season. Swann however, thinks these are the sort of things that may very well benefit Clemson should opponents begin looking past them and perhaps no more so than in the season opener against LSU in Baton Rouge.
The biggest factor this year is quarterback. That’s where we start and Swann has some straight forward thoughts on how much Christopher Vizzina can make a difference in the success of this year’s team. When it comes to quarterback Dabo Swinney has his thoughts on the matter and it doesn’t drift in the direction of Vizzina who has been patiently waiting four years for his shot at being “the guy”
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Swann points to the return of Chad Morris as offensive coordinator a position he previously held from 2011 to 2014 as a key element in kick-starting the success of the team. But, as with anything a poor showing this season brings to mind a topic most people would rather not think of and that is, ‘what’s next’?
The defense has the pieces that can make a difference in the numbers on the scoreboard at the end of the game. Will Heldt is a terror at edge just waiting to rack up numbers on teams this season. There are some soft spots where players need to step up this season. Swann points to a few positions of interest in the discussion.
If you’re in the Columbia, SC area be sure to listen to Fox Sports Radio 1400 from 4:00-6:00pm ET, M-F for Clemson Sports Talk with Lawton Swann or streaming at foxsportsradio1400.iheart.com. Subscribe to his podcast and website for solid coverage of the Clemson Tigers. Don’t forget, if you call to be on his show you need to know the secret password that you’ll only get by listening to this podcast.
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