Paul Finebaum makes major Playoff prediction for Dabo Swinney if Clemson loses to Georgia Tech in Week 3

At the beginning of the 2025 season, Clemson was viewed as the frontrunner to contend for the national championship. With a veteran QB in Cade Klubnik, a playoff ticket looks achievable. However, the Tigers' opening loss to Brian Kelly's LSU drew severe criticisms from fans.

This weekend, coach Dabo Swinney & Co. will face Georgia Tech on road and the matchup will prove to be a decisive factor for Clemson's postseason aspirations.

According to college football insider Paul Finebaum, it is a crucial week for coach Swinney and Clemson must win the game. Getting into the playoff won't be an easy path for the team, especially after they have incurred an opening game loss.

The veteran analyst was speaking to Greg McElroy on the ESPN podcast on Wednesday, where he shared his analysis on the Tigers. He claimed that if Clemson loses to Georgia Tech, then their CFP goals will be on life support.

“It looked like he had outsmarted the the rest of college football with the team and that all seemed to slip away and it would slip away even more because he would be literally on life support for the CFP with a loss this weekend,” Finebaum said to McElroy. [Timestamp - 21:00]

“Last Saturday I didn't pay a lot of attention to games like that even though it was scary for a Clemson fan but I was really underwhelmed and really shocked at how they played against LSU. I know he's had a propensity to struggle sometimes in the first game of the season. I don't know why you do that at this point,” he added.

Dabo Swinney and Clemson has a challenging schedule in 2025

After an opening blockbuster against LSU in the season openers, the Clemson Tigers will face a strong opponent in Week 3 (Georgia Tech). The following weekend they will have Syracuse and UNC with Boston College in Week 6.

In the second half, the Tigers will face the Florida State Seminoles at home in Week 9. Louisville, Furman and South Carolina are other back-to-back opponents for Swinney and the team to wrap up the 2025 season.

If they manage to sustain their winning momentum, Clemson should be one of the ACC teams that makes it to the playoff this year.