The Clemson team entered the locker room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium beaten and defeated. A 34-3 loss would be painful for anyone and left those on the outside with more questions than answers.

Look around, Cade Klubnik told his teammates that when his cleats hit the practice field, there would be an energy like no other. All he asked of them was some faith. This Clemson team has had more than its fair share of disappointments.

This unit, on the other hand, stood on the other side and celebrated big wins together, so their faith was not shaken when their quarterback asked for some faith that the results would improve.

This belief was enough for Tristan Leigh and many others have expressed even greater confidence in this team after watching the film.

In the age of the transfer portal, that kind of trust is hard to come by in the midst of adversity. The discussion surrounding Clemson and the portal will always be contentious, no matter what. Dabo Swinney and reach the program.

What the Tigers can control, and have done, is to ensure that continuity remains this squad’s greatest asset.

The belief in the space was based on the relationships that have developed over the years, which cannot be established so quickly during the portal’s shopping spree.

This point was brought up in the Clemson-App State broadcast, with ESPN college football and recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill giving Swinney some leeway regarding his portal usage.

He also appeared on the Orange Crush Podcast to make the same points, emphasizing that Clemson’s foundation is strong enough to get through certain moments.

“I like to use the term ‘hired mercenaries,’ and that’s exactly what they are when you go out and buy players,” Luginbill said. “The flip side of that, and we’re maybe seeing this at Florida State right now, is if things aren’t going well, what is that player’s loyalty and devotion to the program and the locker room? It’s zero. That’s not why he went there. He probably went there for the money, right? To be fair, that’s not true of everyone, but it’s the vast majority of what happens in the portal. And so if you don’t have those pieces that came from the outside and weren’t a fundamental part of your foundation from the moment they enrolled, I can imagine that there can be fractures if things aren’t going well.”

Additionally, Luginbill addressed an issue within the portal, pointing out that some of the remaining players may simply not be talented enough to contribute.

“The portal thing with regards to Clemson, and I agree with Dabo Swinney that tampering is the biggest problem in college football right now,” Luginbill said. “Nobody wants to talk about it, but that’s the problem. So if a great guy going into the portal could help you and you’re interested in him, you’re not going to get him unless you’re willing to tamper. The deal is done; it’s signed, sealed and delivered. What’s left in the portal is what Dabo is criticized for, but he’s not wrong. And that’s the vast majority, if not all, of the remaining players who are no better than the ones Clemson is playing with. So why take the risk of maybe bringing in a bad element, a hiring situation, a character situation?”

As long as the portal dominates college football, there will be headlines about Clemson’s use of this tool.

Numerous examples show both positive and negative aspects of the speed dating world in college sports.

The Tigers seem to like the guys they currently have in that room.

After a devastating opening game, it could have easily fallen apart. Those present in August stressed how close the team is. Certainly a result like Georgia’s can test the bonds. After that, the Tigers passed the immediate test with flying colors.

As testing becomes more demanding leading up to conference play, this continuity will play a major role in testing that foundation. Only time will tell.