Why Clemson Tigers Will Win National Title in 2015-16 Season

With all due to respect to the Florida State Seminoles, it may be time to pass the torch to the Clemson Tigers in the ACC, at least for the next season or two.

For that matter, the rest of the nation needs to be on "Tiger watch," because Clemson is poised and ready for a statement year in 2015. We saw the Ohio State Buckeyes battle through quarterback injuries and question marks to become the first-ever College Football Playoff champions. They were a well-rounded team which beat some of the best in the country to win the title.

This year, Clemson may end up being the 2014 version of Ohio State. No, really, the Tigers have the potential to be that good.

Odds for CFP National Championship in 2015-16 Season

According to Odds Shark, the Buckeyes open as the favorites to win the CFP once again next season, with odds between 4-1 and 4.5-1. In comparison, the Tigers open with odds of 22-1 to 25-1 to win it all. Obviously, those odds show a level of respect given to Clemson, as it puts them on a similar level with teams such as the Oregon Ducks, Michigan State Spartans and Oklahoma Sooners.

Those odds make Clemson the favorites to contend for the CFP National Championship from the ACC this season, which isn't a huge surprise.

The Seminoles are losing quarterback Jameis Winston, wide receiver Rashad Greene, running back Karlos Williams and tight end Nick O'Leary offensively. On top of that, they'll lose defensive talents such as defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and cornerbacks P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby.

With many teams in contention this year, the argument for the Tigers to get the job done is an intriguing one.

Buckeyes Facing a Tough Task

While Ohio State returns a ton of talent and has one of the best coaches in the country, the odds of the Buckeyes repeating don't factor in every aspect. Since the BCS began in 1998, only one team has managed to win back-to-back national championships. This was the Alabama Crimson Tide back in 2011 and 2012, according to NCAA.com.

Obviously, we can't forget the fact that the USC Trojans won in both 2003 and 2004, but their second win was eventually vacated by the BCS.

So the question for the Buckeyes now becomes, how will their push for a repeat look with the entire nation gunning to take them down? Ohio State's 2015 schedule isn't overly tough, but they do have some major tests along the way. This includes teams such as the Virginia Tech Hokies in their first game and the Northern Illinois Huskies soon after that.

Let's not forget that those pesky Hokies were the only team to beat the Buckeyes last season.

As the season rolls on for Ohio State, they draw the Penn State Nittany Lions, Minnesota Golden Gophers and their biggest test, the Michigan State Spartans. The schedule isn't brutal, but the fact that they don't have the toughest schedule may actually come back to hurt them.

Clemson's Strength of Schedule

As much as we all love talking about what the Buckeyes did last season, let's not forget that Clemson doesn't have to be No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation to get in. The Tigers just need to win the ACC and take advantage of the chance to grab some big wins along the way.

While Clemson's nonconference schedule won't blow you away, the fact that they finish the season on the road against South Carolina will help. The Gamecocks may have gone 7-6 last season, but expectations are higher heading into 2015.

What really helps the Tigers in terms of their schedule, is that they not only draw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this season, but they also have quite a few tough conference games. They'll be on the road against the Louisville Cardinals, Miami Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack (who will surprise quite a few people in 2015).

Those are three tough road games, but the Tigers also benefit quite a bit from playing tough opponents in Notre Dame, FSU and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets all in Death Valley.

Also, it's worth noting that, according to the aforementioned odds from OddsShark, Clemson faces six teams who have odds of 100-1 or better to win the CFP National Championship. Those odds may seem a bit high, but a few other teams listed with odds of 100-1 include the West Virginia Mountaineers, Utah Utes, Arizona Wildcats, Kansas State Wildcats, Missouri Tigers and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Plan for Replacing Lost Talent

It's not all good news in Death Valley in terms of their own losses in 2015, as multiple players from their top-ranked defense will be gone next season. This includes DEs Vic Beasley and Corey Crawford, DT Grady Jarrett, linebacker Stephone Anthony and CB Garry Peters, who are all graduating.

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables will have holes to fill, but there's talent waiting in the wings. Through the losses of all the big names, players such as DE Shaq Lawson, LB Ben Boulware and safeties Jayron Kearse and Travis Blanks are all ready to step in.

Let's also not forget about CB Mackensie Alexander, who is only a rising sophomore and has the potential to be one of the best in the nation next season.

The Tigers won't begin 2015 as the same dominant defense that they were at the end of 2014, but they're going to be a very good unit. Also, there's no reason to doubt Venables and head coach Dabo Swinney, as these two are masters at getting the most out of their players.

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Offensive Firepower

Deshaun Watson, Artavis Scott, Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman and Tyshon Dye. These are the players who opponents will line up against on a weekly basis. It's a pretty daunting task for any defense, especially since we just started to see Gallman and Dye scratch the surface at the end of 2014.

While Dye only saw action in four games, he put together an impressive 20 rushes for 124 yards and two scores against Georgia State. As for Gallman, he may be the man to watch in 2015. The redshirt freshman rushed a total of 16 times in his first four games, but he was called upon in a big way down the home stretch.

Gallman finished the year with 769 yards and four scores, but three of his four touchdowns came in the final four weeks. He also had 88 or more yards in four of the final five games, with the other game being against Georgia State, when Dye got the nod.

As for Watson, he has the potential to be a Heisman Trophy contender next season if he's able to stay healthy. While Watson is able to make plays with both his arm and his legs, he needs to be smarter when he takes off to run. The freshman rushed for five touchdowns last season, but he needs to avoid taking those big hits that can lead to injuries this season.

Let's not forget about wide receivers Scott and Williams, who combined for 1,995 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. What makes those numbers even more impressive is the back and forth between Cole Stoudt and Watson at quarterback they dealt with. The numbers that those two could put up with extra time to work with a talent like Watson are pretty scary to predict.

The X-factor will absolutely be Watson. His pure talent mixed with his supporting cast makes it easy to see how he tossed six touchdowns against the North Carolina Tar Heels last season.

Instant-Impact Freshman Class?

According to 247Sports, the Tigers wrapped up 2015 with the eighth-best class. This included a combined 12 4- and 5-star commits. While many of these players may not see much action on a talented Clemson team in 2015, a few stand out as potential immediate playmakers.

Two specifically? Ray Ray McCloud III and Deon Cain.

Both of these players are incredible prospects. McCloud scored 55 rushing touchdowns over his final three years at Sickles High School in Tampa, Florida. He also rushed 570 times for 4,249 yards combined in his junior and senior seasons, while averaging 7.45 yards per carry.

As for Cain, he's played quarterback, running back, wide receiver and has even dabbled a bit on the defensive side of the ball for Tampa Bay Tech in Tampa, Florida. Through his junior and senior seasons, he combined for 5,633 total passing and rushing yards.

While Cain was a quarterback who showed he had some serious wheels in high school, he's slated to play wideout for the Tigers. Cain showed his versatility by not only throwing a 54-yard touchdown pass in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl but also catching a 50-yard receiving touchdown.

Projecting the Final Four

For argument's sake, we'll assume that the Buckeyes make it back into the 2015-16 CFP. This leaves three spots for the Tigers.

It seems as though their biggest competition will likely be the USC Trojans, TCU Horned Frogs, Baylor Bears and whoever makes it out of the SEC West. Based on that alone, you have to like their chances, for a few different reasons.

Not only does TCU play Baylor, but they play in the final game of the 2015 season. There's a very good chance that we could see that game decide which team makes it the College Football Playoff next season, possibly taking up the second spot.

As for the Trojans, without question, they're going to have to earn their spot. Their schedule features the Stanford Cardinal, Arizona State Sun Devils, Washington Huskies, Notre Dame, Utah, Arizona, Oregon and the UCLA Bruins.

That's brutal.

USC could very well surprise us all and get the job done, but seeing a team with more than one or two losses at most make the CFP is very unlikely. If the Trojans can get through that schedule as a one-loss team, it would be very surprising.

As for that muddled SEC West, will the Crimson Tide roll once again? It's likely that we'll see our fair share of surprising wins from that conference, but one team will still prevail and make the playoff. While I can even see an argument for two teams to make the CFP from the SEC West, I'm not betting on that.

Prediction (in no order): Alabama Crimson Tide, TCU Horned Frogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Clemson Tigers

The Tigers' Case to Take Down the Playoff

It seems to be a common theme that the ACC gets overlooked, but in 2015 there will be quite a few talented teams in the conference. Remember how the Buckeyes were overlooked when the 2014-15 playoff began? We may see a similar situation with the Tigers.

While everyone will see big-time programs such as Alabama, TCU and Ohio State, the expectation will be for one of those three to get the job done.

A fair warning? Don't bet against Swinney, Watson and a Venables-led defense in postseason play. The past few seasons tell quite a story.

Since 2012, the Tigers have faced tough competition in the postseason and have shown up big both offensively and defensively:

Year	Record	Bowl	Opponent	Opp. Record	Score
2012	10-2	Chick-fil-A Bowl	LSU Tigers	10-2	W 25-24
2013	10-2	Orange Bowl	Ohio State Buckeyes	12-1	W 40-35
2014	9-3	Russell Athletic Bowl	Oklahoma Sooners	8-4	W 40-6

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Say what you will about Clemson, but Swinney is getting the most of his players on the biggest stages. In 2012, LSU was an early favorite to make the National Championship, but fell just short after a regular season loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. They then drew the Tigers and the rest was history.

Clemson's 2013 victory over Ohio State was against another team who nearly made the BCS National Championship. The Buckeyes lost in the Big Ten Championship Game, which left them on the outside looking in. Their consolation prize was the Orange Bowl, where the Tigers pulled off the surprising victory.

Lastly, comes the win over the 8-4 Sooners. While Oklahoma failed to live up to preseason expectations and they weren't on the level of LSU or Ohio State, this was a team with plenty of talent. To top it off, the Sooners got starting quarterback Trevor Knight back for the bowl game.

Knight did very little against the Tigers' stellar defense, though, completing 45.9 percent of his passes with 103 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Tigers Heading to Title Town in 2015-16

This Clemson team will likely have its most offensive talent since Tajh Boyd, Andre Ellington, Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Martavis Bryant back in 2012. Watson showed us glimpses of being one of the best quarterbacks in the country last year and was nearly unstoppable at times.

For his encore performance? How about shocking the nation and leading the Tigers to a College Football Playoff National Championship victory?