It's no secret that I was fairly high on the Clemson Tigers this offseason, at least relative to the nonexistent expectations many pundits had for them this year.I wasn't picking them to make a deep College Football Playoff run or win a national title, but I figured they would compete for an ACC Championship and be a darkhorse Playoff pick.THREE TEAMS RANKED OUTSIDE THE TOP-12 OF THE COACHES POLL WHO WILL MAKE THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFThen the LSU game happened.It seemed like the pieces were in place for them to at least surprise some folks, but alas, that doesn't appear to be the case.Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers watches from the sideline during the first quarter at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept.5, 2026.
(ISI Photos via Getty Images)I blame myself for getting sucked back into the Clemson hype machine, but this article isn't about me.COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES ON HOT SEAT: BILL BELICHICK, MIKE NORVELL AND OTHERS FACING MAKE-OR-BREAK 2026This article is about how it might be time for the Tigers and their all-time winningest head coach, Dabo Swinney, to amicably and gracefully part ways.Saturday night's 51-10 debacle in Death Valley isn't a reason for panic in a vacuum.LSU and Lane Kiffin will probably do that to a lot of teams far better than Clemson this year.But the fact that, once again, the Tigers and Swinney are starting their season off on the wrong foot is a cause for concern.It seems like ever since Trevor Lawrence moved on to the NFL, Clemson can't seem to sustain any momentum to start the season.And some of you Dabo defenders may point at the fact that they had to play teams like Georgia and LSU in recent years as a way to hand wave these brutal starts.HAS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL ALREADY CHANGED AFTER A STUNNING FIRST WEEK?Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney waits to lead his team on the field prior to the game between the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sep...