The Associated Press poll may have handed Clemson a headache it didn’t need.
By dropping Miami from No. 5 to No. 6, the voters gave the Hurricanes another little jolt of motivation heading into their matchup with Clemson in two weeks. It might look like a small shuffle on paper, but it changes the temperature around a game that was already going to draw plenty of attention.
Miami did not exactly cruise past Wake Forest, but Jake Dickert’s Demon Deacons are no joke. And while Ole Miss jumped ahead after beating LSU, Miami has been one of the most steady teams in the country through the first three weeks. The Hurricanes still look like a top-five team, even if the poll says otherwise.
The timing matters, too. Miami hosts Central Michigan on Saturday night in Week 4, and unless Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, or Indiana stumble, it is tough to see the Hurricanes climbing back into the top five before Clemson arrives. Clemson can help itself by going to Cal and winning Friday night, but Miami appears to be getting squeezed by the way the rankings shook out.
That also wipes out one of the ways Clemson could have found an edge: the overlook factor. Before the poll came out, there was at least a chance Miami might glance past Clemson and treat the Tigers like just another stop on the schedule. Clemson being at home in Week 5, plus Miami’s history of stumbling in games it should win under Mario Cristobal, made that idea feel possible.
Now? Not so much.
Miami is not being treated like a true part of college football’s top tier, even though the Hurricanes just played for a national title. They still have never won the ACC, but it would be a shock if anyone else claimed the league’s automatic College Football Playoff bid this season. This is a talented team that has been disrespected just enough to notice.
And the scheduling setup only sharpens that edge. Miami can move to 4-0 with a home win over Central Michigan, while Clemson has to go on the road to Cal and earn everything it gets. The Tigers also have an extra day to prepare for Miami, but that does not change the fact that Clemson will need to work harder just to get to the same point.
In the end, the AP’s vote may have done Clemson no favors at all. It gave Miami a reason to keep its focus locked in, and it took away any real chance that the Hurricanes would walk into Week 5 with their guard down.
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