Overreactions about Dabo Swinney, Clemson were misguided

Week 1 tends to produce a lot of overreactions. Overreactions about players.Overreactions about coaches.

Overreactions about teams. Perhaps the biggest one revolved around Clemson. That ugly loss to Georgia led me to dismiss the Tigers.Hammer Dabo Swinney for bypassing the transfer portal.

Discount them as a contender in the pedestrian-at-best ACC.Perhaps some of it was recency bias after Clemson failed to win double-digit games last year for the first time since 2010. Six weeks later, it’s time to revisit Clemson.

Swinney’s team hasn’t lost since, blowing out its next five opponents by a cumulative 174-41.In the least, it looks like a contender in the ACC. Quarterback Cade Klubnik has begun to live up to his lofty high school ranking as a junior, throwing 17 touchdowns passes and just one interception in those five games.

The defense has been stifling and the offense is potent, fifth nationally in points per game (45.0).Running back Phil Mafah has been dynamic, notching four 100-yard rushing games. After waxing Wake Forest on Saturday, 49-14, Clemson is atop the ACC at 4-0 in league play.

It has looked like the old Clemson, hammering overwhelmed foes and leaving no doubt. It should be noted that the five wins have come against teams with a combined record of 10-21.All five opponents have losing records.

The schedule will get tougher.Clemson still has a trip to undefeated Pittsburgh on Nov.

16, a showdown that could have ACC championship game ramifications.The only other undefeated teams in the conference are SMU and Miami.

Clemson doesn’t have either on its schedule. I’m not necessarily ready to anoint the Tigers a championship contender yet.We need to see more against better competition.

In the same vein, this is clearly a team that we buried too early.It wasn’t ready to face an opponent quite like Georgia in Week 1.

Most teams wouldn’t have been, either. Just as so many of us overreacted to USC’s impressive Week 1 win over LSU, ...