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The highly-anticipated college football season kicks off in just a few days. Some eyes will be on Alabama – understandably. But a load of eyes are sure to be on Clemson, the national champions who will be working to defend their title. Right now, they’re the top ranked team in the country. They also have the Heisman Trophy favorite in quarterback Trevor Lawrence. And on Saturday night, they’ll be facing off against Georgia Tech. So can they play to the caliber of last season, and head back home with another title?
Expectations for Clemson
College football fans may expect the Tigers to easily breeze through the ACC and make their way back into the College Football Playoff. Last year, they had an undefeated season in conference play before taking down the likes of Notre Dame and Alabama in the playoff. But not even the Irish nor the Tide could put up a challenge against the Tigers. For lack of a better word, Clemson dominated. They beat Notre Dame 30-3 and Alabama 44-16. It’s only natural to think they’ll have another dominant year.
While talented seniors have graduated and moved on, they’ve still got All-American quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The sophomore threw for 3,280 yards and connected on 30 touchdowns. And with a year of experience under his belt, Lawrence is going to a force to be reckon with and a nightmare for defenses. College football fans will have their eyes on him.
There will be new faces out on the field for Clemson this year, too. Sophomore running back Lyn-J Dixon may be one of them. Last year, he had five touchdowns and ran for 547 yards. He and Travis Etienne should be rounding out the running game for the Tigers.
In July, head coach Dabo Swinney talked about the turnover and rebuilding of this program.
Start the Title Defense
This weekend, his team will be facing off against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets brought in a new coach after going 7 – 6 last season. Swinney says it’s not just a coaching change going on at Georgia Tech. He thinks it’s a whole new program philosophy, and that it will be make for an interesting opening game on Saturday.
All eyes will be on Clemson Tigers Saturday night. Kick off is set for 8 p.m. on Clemson’s home turf.
