Where Clemson landed in CBS Sports 'programs set up for future national titles' tiers

USA Today

12-07-2025

CBS Sports took a step back to examine which college football programs are really built to chase national championships in the years ahead — and it's clear the 'Power 2' leagues continue to hold the cards.
With the SEC and Big Ten pulling in record money and only adding to it with future TV deals, the top tier is heavily tilted toward those two conferences. CBS broke teams into tiers based on recruiting muscle, financial backing, available talent, leadership advantages and whether their expectations match reality.
Clemson landed in the 'Silver' group — the third tier — sharing the spot with Tennessee, Miami, Florida State and Auburn.
'All five have hoisted a national championship trophy before, which proves it's possible again,' CBS' Brad Crawford wrote. 'Whenever Clemson finally exits the ACC and joins one of the super leagues in the next wave of realignment, the Tigers should see a revenue bump that lines up with college football's biggest spenders. But whenever Dabo Swinney steps down, whoever follows him will have a major task trying to keep that level of success going. The sport is more balanced than before, and recruiting isn't what it was during Clemson's title years.'
At the top sits the 'Diamond' level, filled mostly with SEC powers — Texas, LSU, Georgia and Alabama — plus Ohio State out of the Big Ten.
One step down sits Notre Dame at the front of the 'Gold' tier, joined by Michigan, Oregon, USC and Texas A&M. Clemson's recent dip into the portal also got a nod from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg: 'The big change is coach Dabo Swinney's willingness to add a few portal pieces,' he said. 'Heldt joins an already talented defensive line, and Southeast Missouri State's Tristan Smith provides a big frame (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) for the receiving corps. Clemson had a relatively small number of outgoing transfers, although defensive tackle Tre Williams could be missed.'
For now, Clemson enters the fall with high expectations yet again — ranked inside the Top 5 by multiple outlets and favored to take the ACC crown. After winning two titles and appearing in four national championship games from 2015 to 2019, the Tigers aim to get back to the playoff's final four for the first time in half a decade.
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