Tigers are not the sure thing to win the national championship
By: will-vandervort May 11, 2021

It is that time of the year where coaches hit the road talking to touchdown clubs or booster organizations while everyone releases some sort of top 25 preseason college football poll.

This time of the year is affectionately known as the “Talking Season” in college football and the latest talk is about the new odds to win the College Football Playoff.

SportsLine revealed its latest odds on Monday.

No real surprise here. Alabama is listed as the favorite to win a second straight national championship. The Crimson Tide is a +300 in the odds, followed by Clemson at +400.

Ohio State is third at +700, while Oklahoma is +800.

Georgia, who the Tigers open the season against on Sept. 4, comes in at +1,000, followed by Texas A&M (+2,000), Florida (+2,500) and Notre Dame (+2,500) to round out the top eight.

The Tigers, who lost in the CFP Semifinals last season to Ohio State, return 10 of 11 starters on defense, and get back one of the most explosive playmakers in college football with the return of Justyn Ross at wide receiver. He missed all of last season due to spinal surgery in the off-season.

D.J. Uiagalelei will be the new starter at quarterback, but he did fill in for Trevor Lawrence last season and started two games when Lawrence was out with COVID, including a top 5 matchup at Notre Dame when he threw for 439 yards against the Irish.

Clemson is also replacing two starters on the offensive line and must find a replacement for the ACC’s all-time rushing and scoring leader Travis Etienne.

“The key for us is going to be the development up front,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said last month on the Packer & Durham Show on the ACC Network. “Last year, we really had five guys and really six that we felt like could win for us at a high level. I just think we are so much further along.

“All of those guys were young. We are a little more battled tested. They have some scares and wounds on them, and a little more thick skin. A little more knowledgeable.”

Get your Trevor Lawrence or Travis Etienne Jacksonville jersey from Fanatics right here!