It's taken four weeks of college football for Clemson to go from being heralded as a national title contender to being completely removed from the College Football Playoff conversation.
Unranked Syracuse upset the Tigers in a game that wasn't particularly close on Saturday. Clemson fell 34-21 while defending Memorial Stadium. Dabo Swinney's squad dropped to 1-3 on the season, with losses to LSU and Georgia Tech joining its loss to the Orange.
SYRACUSE TAKES DOWN CLEMSON IN DEATH VALLEY >
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 20, 2025
Clemson is off to its worst start under Dabo Swinney pic.twitter.com/TWaHRYZKnZ
The game was in hand for Syracuse by the end of the third quarter. Backup quarterback Rickie Collins delivered a knockout blow with an 18-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons, extending the Orange's lead to 34-14 with six seconds left in the third quarter.
It was a heroic play from Collins, who replaced star Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli. Angeli left the game with a non-contact lower-leg injury in the third quarter and did not return.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik went 37-of-60 (61.7%) for 363 yards and three touchdowns, but his desperation 4th-and-10 pass down two scores with five minutes to play was intercepted by Orange defensive back Davien Kerr. The Tigers got the ball back one more time with 3:24 remaining on offense, but could not cut the Syracuse lead to one score.
The Orange took a 27-14 lead into halftime after a pair of touchdown passes from Angeli and a 9-yard scoring run by Will Nixon. It was 10-0 before Clemson even touched the ball, as Syracuse scored on its opening drive, then recovered a surprise onside kick and followed it with a field goal. A 90-minute weather delay at halftime stretched out the contest, which started at 12:10 p.m. and didn't end until 5:35.
Clemson has now lost four of its last five games dating back to the first round of last year’s College Football Playoff, which it made as the ACC Champion despite going 9-3. The 1-3 start is the worst of Swinney's career and the worst start for Clemson since 2004.
