CLEMSON -- The most extraordinary Clemson-related theme in the 2023 preseason polls is, of course, the sight of the Tigers not in the Top 5 and looking up at teams they used to thoroughly outclass.
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But once the strangeness of that subsides, another rare theme emerges:
The likelihood of some huge games at Death Valley.
Our friend Paul Myerberg of USA Today has Clemson at No. 8, and looking up at No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 5 Florida State.
A third Clemson opponent is in Myerberg's rankings, with North Carolina at No. 16.
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At this point it's a good time to reinforce the typical disclaimers about rankings that come in May not meaning a whole lot, particularly in the transfer-portal era.
But the offseason is about anticipation, and there's justified anticipation that Clemson's home slate will feature some big-time games.
And boy is that a shift from the trend of the last decade.
Over 10 seasons from 2013 to 2022, a grand total of 10 teams visited Death Valley and finished the season ranked in the AP Top 25.
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Over that same stretch, Clemson hosted a mere six teams that went on to finish in the Top 15.
That's a shame.
That's almost a disservice to a stadium and a town that seem made to play host to major matchups.
And it's a raving tribute to the fans who have a record of packing the place even for a steady diet of mediocre-and-worse opponents (something the head coach might need to consider acknowledging when he lectures the fans for being spoiled).
In fairness, it's not as though there haven't been some matchups that felt big going in.
But the key part of that is "going in."
Last year, there was certainly big-game buzz in the air when the No. 5 Tigers played host to No. 10 N.C. State.
But the Wolfpack were smacked that night and went on to lose four more times, finishing unranked.
Last year's visit from No. 14 Syracuse sorta-kinda felt like a big deal, yet we all had a feeling the Orange's 6-0 start was built on a shaky foundation.
After Cade Klubnik and the Tigers held off Dino Babers' team 27-21 that day, Syracuse won just once the rest of the way and finished 7-6 and unranked.
In 2020, Miami was in the Top 10 when it visited and we thought Manny Diaz' program was turning the corner.
We were wrong: Clemson smoked the Hurricanes that night, and they ended up barely in the Top 25 at No. 22 by the end of the year.
In 2019, it felt big when Jimbo Fisher brought in his 12th-ranked Texas A&M team. Clemson overwhelmed the Aggies that day for their first of five losses on the season, and Fisher's team finished unranked.
Over the past decade, Death Valley has played host to just six teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the matchup.
And just one of those teams, Florida State in 2013, managed to finish in the Top 10 (the Seminoles won it all that year).
Even 2016 Louisville, the Lamar Jackson-led team that came to Death Valley and helped create arguably the most memorable game in the stadium's history, went on to finish No. 21 after closing the season with three straight losses.
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Maybe another part of the lesson here is how much Clemson needs to be in another conference, whether it be the SEC or Big Ten, because that means much more opportunity for the fans to truly get excited about home schedules.
But what is undeniable is that Clemson, Death Valley and the fans deserve more of what they will get in 2023.
It's been way too long.
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