Where Clemson football is projected in the AP preseason Top 10
It’s all about where you finish, but starting with some Top 10 prominence can boost College Football Playoff hopes.
Phil Steele’s AP Preseason Top 10 projection says Clemson will have that with a No. 9 spot after last year’s return to the CFP and an ACC Championship.
Reigning national champ Ohio State is expected to start No. 1, followed by Texas, Oregon, Georgia and Penn State. Clemson slots just ahead of Tennessee and a spot behind Death Valley opener opponent LSU.
Clemson matched its preseason and postseason AP rankings last year at No. 14 overall, ending a run from 2019-23 where the Tigers underperformed their preseason ranking.
Clemson was No. 1 preseason twice in that run (2019 and 2020) and last outranked its preseason mark in 2018 (No. 2 preseason; No. 1 postseason).
No. 9 would be under the ‘Way Too Early’ composite ranking compiled by Sporting News, which has the nation’s No. 1 team in returning production at No. 7.
The Tigers were preseason AP Top 10 each season from 2016-23 after not holding a Top 10 preseason mark since 2008 previously (No. 9).
Steele touts that his AP preseason projection has been a perfect 10/10 for eight of the 16 years he’s done it, and it’s had at least the correct teams in some order 95% of the time, he says.
