Clemson opens the season just outside the AP top 25, landing as the first team out when the preseason poll dropped Monday afternoon.
Dabo Swinney’s Tigers drew 112 votes, which makes them the unofficial No. 26 team in the country. They were close enough to sniff the back end of the rankings, too, with No. 25 Missouri collecting only five more votes.
That placement ends Clemson’s preseason ranking streak. The Tigers had been included in the AP Poll every year since 2011, but last season’s 7-6 finish after starting at No. 4 kept voters from slotting them back in this time around.
Still, the absence of a number next to Clemson’s name might not be all bad.
The Tigers head straight into a huge opener at LSU, and the Bayou Bengals checked in at No. 11 in the preseason poll. That matchup also comes with a little extra spotlight, since it will be head coach Lane Kiffin’s first game at Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 5, with ABC carrying the broadcast and College GameDay on site in Baton Rouge that morning.
For Clemson, the path back into the conversation starts there. Swinney’s team is looking to show it belongs among the sport’s best, and being left out of the rankings means there’s less outside noise attached to the preseason label.
The ACC did place three teams in the top 25. Miami leads the league at No. 7, and Clemson will get its shot at the Hurricanes on Oct. 3 at Memorial Stadium in what shapes up as the Tigers’ second major test of the year.
SMU landed at No. 19 and Louisville came in at No. 24.
Clemson does not face SMU or Louisville, so its only ranked opponents on the preseason slate are LSU and Miami. That makes the opener even more important, because a strong start could quickly change the way voters look at the Tigers.
In Other News...
Dabo Swinneys First Clemson Scrimmage Brought One Early Concern
Clemsons first fall camp scrimmage gave Dabo Swinney a chance to start sorting through the roster, and the early reviews were a mix of encouragement and caution. The Tigers coach said the workout produced some positive signs while also showing a few areas that still need cleaning up, which is about what you would expect when a team is trying to settle in ahead of the season.
The bigger concern came away from practice on Friday, when Swinney confirmed true freshman defensive back Polo Anderson tore his ACL and will be sidelined for a significant stretch. Swinney also updated the status of other injured players as Clemson continues to manage camp health, but the loss of a young defensive back is the kind of setback that can ripple through a depth chart this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
London Merritt Sees A Sharper Clemson Defense Than Doubters Do
London Merritt has seen enough from Clemsons defense this offseason to think the unit is better than the outside chatter suggests. The former Colorado transfer said the Tigers have tightened up since spring practices, with improved tackling and cleaner overall execution standing out as the group has prepared for LSU. Coming off a 7-6 season, Clemson has plenty to prove, but Merritt pointed to the energy around the team as a sign the defense is trending in the right direction.
What makes that optimism interesting is how much it rests on consistency, not just flashes. Merritt believes Clemson can surprise doubters if it keeps the same urgency from one practice to the next and carries that sharper edge into game week. With LSU first on the schedule, the Tigers do not have long to turn that confidence into something opponents can see on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Thinks Clemson Is Ready For Its Toughest Early Test
Clemson has spent the last several weeks getting itself ready for one of the toughest early tests on its schedule, and Dabo Swinney believes the work has been building toward the right moment. With LSU waiting in a setting that figures to be both hot and loud, Swinney said the Tigers summer workouts and fall camp were designed to sharpen them for exactly this kind of challenge, where the atmosphere can be as demanding as the opponent.
Swinney sounded confident that Clemson can handle the conditions and compete well, even with the obvious difficulty of opening in that environment. For a team trying to make an early statement, the trip to LSU offers an immediate measuring stick, and it will say plenty about how quickly Clemsons preparation translates once the noise starts and the game begins to speed up. [Read more 🡒]