Kirk Herbstreit Calls ACC Contender 'Potential Longshot' For College Football Playoff

The ACC should be entertaining this season, with teams like the Clemson Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, and Miami Hurricanes all looking to fight for the conference title. Florida State beat the Louisville Cardinals last season to win the title.

Dabo Swinney has made plenty of headlines this offseason, making his stance on the transfer portal and NIL known. The Tigers were among the few teams that did not add a transfer commit this offseason.

However, Kirk Herbstreit thought Swinney was a coach who could lead his team to the College Football Playoff. On a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show , Herbstreit called Clemson a "potential longshot" to make the playoff.

"I think Clemson. People are kinda [expletive] all over Dabo, and he doesn't do the portal; game's passed him by," Herbstreit said. "That's everything he wants. He just sits there and loves that. I think Clemson, again, potential longshot, they could get hot and make a run. Veteran quarterback now in Klubnik, so we'll see."

It has been a rough few years for Clemson fans. The program's last national title was in 2019, and the Tigers last appeared in the playoff in 2021. Clemson finished 9-4 last season, the worst record under Swinney since 2010. The team finished 6-7 that season.

Clemson suffered losses via the transfer portal, such as cornerback Toriano Pride, receiver Beaux Collins, and linebacker Andrew Mukuba.

While there were no transfer commits for Clemson, its 2024 class was excellent. The Tigers had the 14th overall and third-best 2024 class in the ACC. Former five-star LB Sammy Brown, former five-star WR TJ Moore, and former four-star WR Bryant Wesco led the class.

In 2024, the program returns stars like quarterback Cade Klubnik, tight end Jake Briningstool, running back Phil Mafah, and linebacker Barrett Carter.

The Tigers open the season against the Georgia Bulldogs on Aug. 31.

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