According to 247Sports' projections for the 2024 season, the Clemson Tigers appear poised to return to double-digit win numbers after a year-long absence.
The Tigers went 9-4 last season, ending a streak of 12 seasons with 10 or more wins under coach Dabo Swinney.
With quarterback Cade Klubnick leading the offense, the Tigers should once again get close to their 10-win goal.
The site predicted the Tigers to win 10 games, with wins over Appalachian State, North Carolina State, Stanford, Wake Forest, Virginia, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, The Citadel and South Carolina.
Two expected losses could prevent the Tigers from returning to the College Football Playoff.
Those losses came in the season opener against Georgia and against Florida State in Week 5. The site noted that the Tigers have “two of the biggest games in the ACC” coming up in 2024.
As a result, the site projects the Tigers to finish third in the league behind Florida State, which is projected to go 11-1 and win all of its ACC games, while Miami is projected to go 11-1 and 7-1 in the ACC, losing only to Florida State.
Without the divisional format this year, the Seminoles and Hurricanes would advance to the ACC Championship Game, while the Tigers would miss out. It would also be harder for the Tigers to qualify for the expanded CFP, which would feature 12 teams under the new expansion format, with the winner of the ACC Championship Game getting an automatic berth.
The good news for the Tigers is that a win over Florida State would send them to the ACC Finals and get one step closer to the CFP. Of course, this is assuming the Tigers win their expected game.
The Tigers' six appearances were the second-most in the CFP in the four-team playoff era that began in 2014. Only Alabama has more appearances, with eight.
Clemson won national championships at the end of the 2016 and 2018 seasons and reached the Finals at the end of the 2015 and 2019 seasons. The Tigers have not returned to the CFP since reaching the semifinals in 2020.
