CLEMSON, S.C. — Under Dabo Swinney the Clemson Tigers have rarely been challenged in the ACC, with an incredible 80-9 record in conference play dating back to the 2012 season – along with eight bowl victories and two national championships.
Could the stranglehold Clemson holds on the ACC be loosening though? Clemson finished second in 2021 behind Wake Forest and although they went undefeated in ACC play in 2022 they suffered three total losses, including a 31-14 defeat at the hands of Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.
Locked on Clemson host Damian Parson joined a roundtable of ACC hosts on the Locked on Sports Today podcast to discuss Clemson’s spot in the ACC and whether an upstart NC State team, led by Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong, can unseat the Tigers in 2023.
“It starts with the quarterback,” Parson said. “Brennan Armstrong, if he can get back to 2021 when he was one of the best quarterbacks in the country…he can take this team to new heights. That’s what is so exciting about them.”
Armstrong followed his offensive coordinator, Robert Anae, from Virginia, and the Wolfpack will hope the duo can replicate the success Armstrong had in 2021 for the Cavaliers when he threw for 4,449 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
NC State is not the only team hoping to unseat Clemson at the top of the ACC, with Florida State and North Carolina joining the Tigers in the preseason AP Top 25.
The Seminoles will have quarterback Jordan Travis and an experienced defense on tap, while the Tar Heels have Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Maye poised to lead this team again.
Clemson has dominated this conference in the Swinney era, and while they could very well take home a conference championship in 2023 the competition is certainly there to usher in a new regime if the Tigers aren’t careful.