The Big Lead

Which 2025 College Football Playoff fan bases would a national title be most meaningful for?

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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11. CLEMSON

Dabo Swinney and Clemson are eager to return to past glory
Dec 7, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney hugs Clemson president Jim Clements after winning the 2024 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There's a case to be made that Clemson probably deserves to be higher on this list than they currently are, but they run into the same problem Georgia has when it comes to how much another title would mean for them.

Head coach Dabo Swinney would LOVE to add another title and silence the critics (like myself) who say the game has passed him by somewhat. He'd be thrilled to rub it in everyone's faces that the Tigers are the first-ever three-losee national champions.

But, much like Georgia, the Tigers have two very recent national titles, in 2016 and 2018. It's hard to make a case for how much a title means to your fan base when you're already walking around with two in the last 10 years. On top of that, most rational Clemson fans seem to be aware that they're firmly playing with house money at this point; this team doesn't really have a resume that inspires confidence and any victories are just a bonus from here on out.

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