Clemson did not receive a single point in the second AP Top 25 Poll of the season, and that says plenty about where the Tigers stand right now.
Even before the votes came out, Clemson was never going to be anywhere near the top 25. Still, getting completely shut out - after entering the season with 112 points - is a hard landing.
The Tigers were not among the 18 teams that received votes, and that group included two teams that lost on Saturday. Boise State pushed Oregon in a near-upset, while Western Michigan, by the source’s read, should have beaten Michigan, which is now unranked.
For Clemson, the path back to the poll is a long one. The next three games are home against Georgia Southern, home against North Carolina in the Tigers’ ACC opener, and then a Friday night trip to California.
If Clemson is going to get back into the top 25 any time soon, it will likely need to win those three and then knock off No. 7 Miami.
The bigger national picture from this poll is that the voters were willing to make real changes. Oregon fell four spots after nearly losing at home to Boise State.
Michigan dropped all the way out after surviving against Western Michigan. At the top, seven of the top eight teams picked up at least one first-place vote, with Ohio State leading the way with 46.
LSU, Clemson’s Week 1 opponent, earned the third-most first-place votes with five and moved from No. 11 to No. 8.
The only team in the top eight without a first-place vote was No. 2 Georgia, which only beat FCS Tennessee State.
That matters because the AP voters did not seem interested in protecting preseason assumptions. They rewarded what happened on the field, even if it meant leaving Clemson out entirely.
For Dabo Swinney, this is a stark reality check. The days of national titles are gone, and the concern now is whether Clemson has slipped to a level that looks closer to Tommy Bowden’s era than the standard Swinney once set. If 8-4 is the new baseline, then this poll is a wakeup call.
And even then, it could be worse. Michigan won and still fell out.
In Other News...
Clemson Gets A Needed D-Line Boost Before Its First ACC Test
Clemsons defensive front got a much-needed lift this week with the reinstatement of tackle Vic Burley after a suspension tied to a public disorderly conduct arrest. Burley still will miss the upcoming game against Georgia Southern, but his return is lined up for a far more important moment, with the Tigers expecting to have him back for their ACC opener against North Carolina.
That matters because Clemson is also bracing for the likely loss of defensive tackle Markus Strong, who is expected to be out for the season after suffering a lower-leg injury in a recent game. Between Burleys return and Strongs injury, the Tigers interior line picture has shifted quickly, and the next few weeks will tell just how much depth they can piece together before conference play starts to sharpen the stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Ugly Opener Put Dabo Swinney Under An Unwanted Spotlight
Clemsons season-opening loss to LSU did more than drop the Tigers into an early hole. It also put a sharp light on the parts of the roster that did hold up, especially in the secondary, where cornerback Ashton Hampton and safety Corey Myrick drew the kind of attention that can matter as the schedule tightens. For a team that came in expecting a cleaner start, there was at least some proof that a few individual pieces can still compete at a high level even when the overall performance falls short.
The bigger issue, though, is what the opener said about where Clemson stands around its head coach. Dabo Swinney is used to having the benefit of the doubt, but this one invited more questions than answers, from the way the game was handled to how much work remains before the Tigers look like a finished product. The next few weeks will say plenty about whether the loss was just a bad night or the first sign that Clemson has more fixing to do than anyone wanted to admit. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Home Opener Comes With A Price Fans Will Notice
Clemsons home opener comes with a familiar kind of college-football cost, and this one is a hefty one. According to a contract obtained through public records, the Tigers will pay Georgia Southern for Saturday nights game at Memorial Stadium, a matchup set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on the ACC Network.
The deal also spells out the usual logistics that come with bringing a road team to town, including ticket allotments and access for Georgia Southerns team and staff. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes bookkeeping that rarely gets much attention on game day, even though it helps shape the business side of a September Saturday in Death Valley. [Read more 🡒]