By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

As sports fans we tend to gravitate towards the underdog; it’s human nature. So, when I hear about how we love to build our athletes up just so we can ultimately tear them down, I’m not sure I completely agree.

I mean, if we innately root for the underdog doesn’t it make sense that we would pull against them once they reached the top of his or her profession and ceased the be the underdog?

Some of the most despised teams and athletes we currently enjoy watching fail are the same ones we once cheered for.

I mention all this because in college football Clemson has been that national underdog for the last few years. Not in the general sense that they are the surprise team that came out of nowhere, but because they don’t play in the SEC and have been the only team to consistently put down the sports top program, Alabama.

But, after two national titles in three years and entering a season where they are one of the prohibitive favorites to win it all again, is Clemson in danger of crossing that line from national darling to college football enemy?

Any talk of Clemson being able to repeat as champions begins with Trevor Lawrence. The expectations laid on the rising sophomore’s shoulders are almost unrealistic when you listen to what some people are predicting him to do, but having a game like he did in last year’s title game will do that to a player.

The Tigers lost a fair amount of talent from last year’s team, especially on the defensive side. However, with the talent they have coming back on the offensive side of the ball, and Bret Venables penchant for churning out top rated defensive regardless of who is on the field, I don’t expect them to struggle.

Clemson will have the most talent on the field in every game they’re currently scheduled to play, and it’s really not even that close.

Speaking of the talent gap between them and their opponents, have you seen their schedule? They’re likely to get more of a challenge during practice then they are against their opposition.

There are three games where they could possibly trip up, though. The first is Texas A&M at the beginning of the season, but the Aggies have to travel to Death Valley and I imagine Clemson will be ready.

The rivalry game against South Carolina is another one that can always be tricky, and it is in Columbia this year. Still, like the A&M game I can’t see the Tigers looking past it. Plus, they’ll have two weeks to prepare.

The one we’re I could see them losing is away at N.C. State. The Wolfpack are an underrated team that could give Clemson some trouble, especially if the Tigers haven’t been challenged up to that point. I wouldn’t be surprised if that game winds up being much closer than most pundits think.

Either way, everything is set up nicely for Clemson to make a run at their third national title in four years, turning them into the premier program in college football.

There’s a moment in the The Dark Knight when the character Harvey Dent states “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Clemson’s success doesn’t seem to be dying anytime soon; at what point does it live long enough to see them become the villain?