Defensive coordinator Brent Venables was hired away to replace Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott took the Virginia job replacing Bronco Mendenhall. Swinney lost a defensive line coach with Venables’ departure as well, and an offensive line coach took an off-field role as part of the larger shake up. Though for all the changes in titles and responsibilities, Clemson stuck mostly with internal promotions to fill vacancies and put together the next era of Tigers football. Monday night’s national stage provides the backdrop for Clemson’s debut in this new era, as Swinney himself said “the torch has been passed” to a new crew of players and coaches. The foe for this stage is a familiar one — the Tigers’ annual rival, Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have their own motivations for the 2022 season, which is crucial for coach Jeff Collins, setting up a great conclusion to the five-day weekend that is Week 1 of college football over Labor Day.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: Gotta find out
DJU seeks a rebound: Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was a five-star prospect out of high school and as a true freshman in 2020 starred in relief of Trevor Lawrence when the Tigers’ starter was sidelined by Covid. Last season was a crushing disappointment, however, as Uiagalelei threw just nine touchdowns on 10 catches and finished last in the ACC in passing efficiency. He lost some weight in the offseason and earned the starting job heading into that opening, which is all the more important now that five-star freshman Cade Klubnik has arrived to present some real competition. Monday night against Georgia Tech will be the first of many data points to compare these two Clemson quarterbacks, and if DJU wants to take over the QB1 responsibilities, it can do so with a form that is more close to this impressive 2020 debut. Collins enters pivotal year for Georgia Tech: There was always going to be a longer leash on Collins after he took over the program from Paul Johnson and vowed to move the Yellow Jackets away from the option offense. Doing so would require rebuilding the roster with multiple recruiting classes, so when the wins didn’t pile up early, there wasn’t much panic around Atlanta. But this is Collins’ fourth season and Georgia Tech has yet to win more than three games in a season with him at the helm. Collins hit the transfer gate for an immediate impact on the depth chart, but he also lost his best offensive weapon when Jahmyr Gibbs was transferred to Alabama. The Clemson game itself isn’t going to determine whether Geoff Collins will be on the hot seat at the end of the season, but how the team competes against ACC favorites will be a sign of where it falls in the lineup and what expect in the future. Clemson’s D should be among the nation’s best: One reason AP voters and prognosticators across the country have Clemson ranked in the top five nationally despite poor quarterback play in 2021 is because of strong defense that should remain salty even after Venables’ loss. Clemson returns six starters with starting experience along the defensive line, has talent in the back seven and as a team should be one of the top five defensive units in the country. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, defensive end Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson earned first-team All-ACC honors in preseason voting as well as CBS Sports Preseason All-America honors. This group is expected to lead the Tigers out of the gate as the 2022 Clemson offense finds its footing here in the season opener.
How to watch Clemson vs. Georgia Tech live
Date: Monday September 5 | Time: 8 p.m. ETLocation: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — AtlantaTV: ESPN | Live Stream: fuboTV (Try Free)
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech prediction, picks
Georgia Tech gave Clemson the scare of a possible upset last season, falling one game short by a score of 14-8 in Death Valley. I think there will be more runs in this year’s affair, but not enough to score the Yellow Jackets to take this game to an over. Clemson is more than happy to ride its top-ranked defense and solid rushing attack for comfortable wins, and this game scenario has far fewer than 51 points. Forecast: Under 51 Which college football picks can you confidently make in Week 1 and which heavy favorite will fall hard? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned nearly $3,600 in winnings over the past six-plus seasons — and find out.
