What they are saying: From NYT Sep 1, 2024

Sep 1, 2024, 4:22 PM

Stewart Mandel:

“That being said, I am willing to declare one ACC coach’s mini-dynasty officially over.
... If No. 1 Georgia’s 34-3 rout of No. 14 Clemson in Atlanta looked at times like college kids against high school kids … well, it was. Once again this offseason, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney declined to tap into the transfer portal’s wealth of unrestricted free agents to upgrade his roster. Clemson joined Army, Navy and Air Force as the only schools to take zero transfers. And so on Saturday, Swinney’s team took on an opponent that has lost only two games in the past three years with the same exact guys that lost four ACC games last season.
The Tigers’ offense gained just 188 yards.
Three years earlier, these same teams opened the 2021 season, with two-time national champ Swinney coming off his sixth straight Playoff appearance, while Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart had been to one CFP in five years. Georgia won that meeting 10-3 and went on to win the next two national titles. Clemson went on to win last year’s Gator Bowl.
Smart evolved to embrace loosened rules around name, image and likeness compensation and the portal. His biggest stars are still home-grown guys: quarterback Carson Beck, safety Malaki Starks, et al. But knowing he needed help at receiver this offseason, he added Miami’s Colbie Young and Vanderbilt’s London Humphreys from the portal. Both caught touchdowns Saturday.
Clemson, which ranked 109th out of 133 FBS teams last season in catches of 20-plus yards, rode with the same group it had. Quarterback Cade Klubnik averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt Saturday.”