Dabo Swinney didn’t try to dress it up when asked about Clemson’s quarterback decision. After naming redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina the starter, the Tigers coach went straight to the larger problem he sees in college football preparation.
“We can’t go any further,” he said when asked about Vizzina’s process in practice leading up to Saturday’s bout with LSU. “There’s a reason why people have preseason games at every level of football, except college football.
I’m still waiting on somebody to explain that to me. I'm talking about from the 95-pound team to the NFL, there's preseason games so you can go play and not have all 22 of your guys the same on your team.
There’s just certain things that need to happen - certain attributes that don't really show up until game day, especially at that position.”
That complaint has come up before from Swinney, and the point lands because college football still asks teams to sort out major questions with no real dress rehearsal. The sport rolls into every season with uncertainty hanging everywhere, from depth charts to defensive rebuilds to quarterback fits in new systems.
The 2026 season is no different. Alabama still had to settle the debate between freshman Keelon Russell and junior Austin Mack at quarterback.
Miami had to figure out how its defense would reload after losing two first-round picks. Indiana had its own question with Josh Hoover and what he would look like in that offense.
Those are the kinds of mysteries fans spend the entire offseason chasing. Getting answers on the field would help everybody involved - the players, the coaches and the people watching.
A preseason game, though, would only solve part of the issue. The bigger structural problem, at least in this argument, is spring football itself.
Right now, the setup is all over the map. Some schools still stage spring games every year.
Others, including USC, Texas and Florida State, have backed away from them entirely.
That inconsistency is what makes the idea worth revisiting. The proposed fix would let Power Four schools schedule one another for a Saturday in March or April, with a home-and-home setup the following season. The games would be played on campus, and the schools could shape the details however they wanted - 12-minute quarters, a running clock, whatever the coaches preferred.
One major obstacle has already been removed. With the spring transfer portal window gone, schools no longer have to worry about putting players on display only to watch them leave soon after for a better opportunity.
That matters because it clears the path for a more useful spring showcase. Clemson’s quarterback battle is a perfect example of the kind of thing that could be settled more naturally against an outside opponent instead of just through practice reps against teammates.
Swinney’s frustration makes sense. Some things simply do not reveal themselves until the lights come on and the opponent across from you is wearing a different jersey. A spring game against another program would at least give teams a chance to learn that before August and September arrive for real.
In Other News...
Clemsons LSU Opener Just Got A Lot More Complicated
LSUs preparations for its opener against Clemson just got a lot messier after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary injunction that allows former NFL preseason players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris to remain eligible until their legal case is resolved. The ruling keeps both players in the conversation for LSUs roster as the Tigers head into a game that already had plenty of attention attached to it, and it adds another layer to a matchup Clemson was preparing to treat like an early measuring stick.
The SEC has filed a lawsuit against LSU over the schools recruiting of former professional players, and the league now appears poised to push back harder after the injunction. Attorneys for the SEC plan to appeal the ruling, leaving LSU in the middle of a legal fight with the opener looming and a potential roster decision still hanging over one of the biggest games on its schedule. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces A Wild Roster Fight Just Before Clemson Opener
A legal ruling this week opened the door for LSU to add more bodies to its roster just as the Tigers are trying to get settled for the season, with former professional athletes DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris now eligible to play after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction. LSU is moving quickly to add Wright and Harris before the deadline, and it is also working to bring Blake Cotton onto the roster as well, a reminder that the personnel battles around college football can be just as intense as anything on the field.
For Clemson, the timing is hard to ignore with the opener looming, because LSU is still sorting through eligibility and roster questions while the SEC has already pushed back hard. The conference has filed a lawsuit against LSU and Lane Kiffin and plans to appeal the ruling, leaving the situation in a legal gray area even as LSU tries to get its lineup in place for the start of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States No. 1 Opener Just Got A Bigger Week 1 Spotlight
The 2026 college football calendar already has plenty of heavy lifting built into it, and Clemson is right in the middle of it. The Week 1 slate features all AP Top 25 teams, but the matchup drawing the sharpest attention on the Tigers side is LSUs season debut against Clemson, part of a full opening weekend that also includes games like Louisville against Ole Miss and a packed broadcast lineup across the sport.
For Clemson, the intrigue is obvious because the opener brings an early measuring stick against a national power and a fresh LSU look under Lane Kiffin. The schedule details are set, the stage is national, and the first Saturday in September now carries even more weight for a Clemson program that will have to answer a big question right away, with the Tigers entering that one in an unexpected role. [Read more 🡒]