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Why 7–5 felt worse for Clemson than the record suggests

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Clemson’s 2025 season didn’t fail — but it didn’t meet the standard either. A national grade reflects that gap.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 22 Furman at Clemson | Icon Sportswire/GettyImages

From the outside, the record alone tells part of the story. From a national lens, the gap between expectation and reality tells the rest.

Clemson’s 2025 season—one that began with championship aspirations—has been labeled “sub-standard” by a national evaluator, a verdict rooted less in win-loss totals and more in how far the Tigers drifted from the program’s own bar.