Defending ACC champ Clemson sets CFP goal
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Clemson is the defending ACC champion, but after two straight seasons outside the College Football Playoff, players said they won’t be satisfied with less than a national title in 2023.
“We’re not going to look down on an 11-3 ACC championship season,” QB Cade Klubnik said at Thursday’s ACC Kickoff event. “There’s a lot of teams that wish they could have that type of year. But at the end of the day, that’s our goal, is winning a national championship. Last year was a good year, but we’ve got bigger goals.”
Clemson went to the College Football Playoff every season from 2015 through 2020, including national titles in 2016 and 2018, but the Tigers have lost three games in each of the past two years.
The Tigers were in position for a playoff berth in 2022, but a late collapse against South Carolina in the regular-season finale ended their hopes.
“We’ve had 12 really, really good years in a row,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It’s hard to get to a final four when there’s 133 teams trying to do it. We’ve been there as much as anybody. If not going eight years in a row means we stink, well, I guess we stink, but maybe we can get back there this year and be able to say we went seven out of the last nine years. That would be a pretty cool accomplishment.”
After last year’s bowl loss to Tennessee, Swinney fired offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter — the first firing on his staff since defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was let go after the 2011 season — and brought in Garrett Riley to call plays.
Riley helped TCU to the national championship game last season, and Swinney expects him to spark a Clemson offense that has sputtered frequently since Trevor Lawrence departed for the NFL two years ago.
“We’ve got to be better in our pass offense and our pass defense, and if we keep everything else the same,” Swinney said. “We were one play away last year, one point from being in the playoff. And if you get in the playoff, anything’s possible. So we’ve just got to improve in some areas we weren’t quite as good last year.”
Clemson tracks offseason metrics on strength and speed numbers, and Swinney said this year’s team has the most players running 20 mph since they began monitoring speed in 2014, as well as a record number of players hitting personal records in the weight room. Clemson also charts things like “accountability,” and Swinney said this year’s squad has been among his best at that, too.
“This is the most accountable team we’ve had in six or seven years,” Swinney said. “What does that mean? I don’t know, but it’s a good indication of the type of focus you have and the type of leadership you have.”
For players like defensive tackle Tyler Davis, who lost the 2019 national championship game to LSU as a freshman, those metrics show a focus from this year’s team on winning a title that has eluded him throughout his career.
“That’s the reason I came back is to win a national championship,” Davis said. “It’s not a [national title or] bust, but my goal is to win a national championship.”
Clemson opens the 2023 season against Duke on Sept. 4.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is not expected to play against Mississippi State on Saturday, per sources, as the Longhorns staff is expected to sit him out in order for him to be fully healthy for the game against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
A final decision on Ewers is expected later Saturday, per sources, but the decision is trending toward allowing him to use Texas’ week off following the Mississippi State game to get healthy. Ewers has been considered week-to-week since injuring his oblique against UTSA on Sept. 14.
Ewers finished the week at nearly 70%, as he practiced Tuesday, was limited Wednesday and ended up limited in practice Thursday to allow him to fully heal. Per sources, the Texas coaching staff wanted to give Ewers the extra rest to ensure he’d return at full strength.
The decision means that Texas will against start backup quarterback Arch Manning, who will make his first career start in an SEC game. Manning made his first start against Louisiana Monroe, completing 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards. He had two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Ewers’ oblique injury came in the wake of him displaying one of the season’s best performances at Michigan in Week 2, as he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout Texas win in Ann Arbor.
Mississippi State enters the game on a three-game losing streak, which includes back-to-back blowout home losses to Toledo and Florida. The Bulldogs are trending toward finishing at the bottom of the SEC, as they have one of the country’s worst defenses. They are No. 111 nationally in total defense and No. 107 in scoring defense.
Mississippi State will also be without its starting quarterback, as starter Blake Shapen is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury against Florida. Michael Van Buren, a true freshman, will make his first career start for the Bulldogs.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams is a “true game-time decision” for the No. 2 Bulldogs at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night, according to ESPN sources.
Williams has missed the previous two games with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which he suffered against Clemson in the opener. He’ll be evaluated in pregame warmups and a decision will be made on his status.
Williams has been limited in practice this week, and it’s expected that if he does play it’ll be at less than 100 percent. He’s also unlikely to play a heavy snap count if he does play, as he’s working his way back.
Williams is a marauding defensive end who is the best player in Georgia’s front seven and is a high-end NFL prospect. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him ranked No. 4 overall player for the 2025 NFL draft.
Williams started the season hot before injuring his ankle against Clemson, as he had two tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures in that game.
They will be an onus on Georgia’s defensive line, especially on the ends, to help slow Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa.
Georgia’s defensive line will benefit from the return of senior Warren Brinson, who is listed as probable after missing the past two games. Sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Hall is questionable for the SEC showdown.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising, who has been snakebit by injuries the past two years, is again expected to be a game-time decision against Arizona on Saturday night, sources told ESPN.
Rising has missed No. 10 Utah’s past two games after an injury to his throwing hand that he suffered against Baylor on Sept. 7. He missed all of last season after an ACL tear in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season.
Rising’s status will undergo the same evaluation process with the Utah staff as before the Oklahoma State game last week. He’ll throw the ball pregame, and his ability to deliver spin and velocity on the ball will determine whether he’ll play, per sources.
As Rising has struggled to recover and get back on the field, one factor that could weigh into the decision is the chance to get him back fully healthy in two weeks. Utah has a bye before they play at Arizona State on Oct. 11.
Rising has practiced this week but remained limited as the staff has attempted to rest his finger.
Freshman Isaac Wilson has started the past two weeks, leading the Utes to victories over Utah State in Logan and in Stillwater against the Cowboys.
Wilson has shown both moments of promise and interspersed those with moments that have illuminated his youth. He threw for 207 yards on 17-of-29 passing against Oklahoma State. He also threw two interceptions. He threw for three touchdowns and 239 yards against Utah State.
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