ESPN released its latest college football power rankings this week, highlighting the top 25 teams after a thrilling Week 6 of the season.
Clemson (4-1, 3-0 ACC) continues its rise, now cracking the top 10 at No. 8 after last Saturday’s 29-13 win over Florida State in Tallahassee. The Tigers had previously held the No. 11 spot entering Week 6, following a dominant 40-14 victory over Stanford.
Though the Tigers did not score 40 or more points against Florida State, they did rack up 500 yards of offense for the third time this season in a 29-13 win over the Seminoles. Coach Dabo Swinney was quick to praise freshman kicker Nolan Hauser for making five field goals, but the flip side of that is Clemson struggled in the red zone — settling for field goal attempts rather than touchdowns on five trips that ended inside the 20-yard line.
Phil Mafah had a huge game on the ground, with a season-high 154 yards. As for quarterback Cade Klubnik, he has gone 74-of-114 for 1,077 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception in his past four games. Up next is a trip to Wake Forest. Wake last beat Clemson in 2008.
Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team, holding steady at No. 6 after an impressive comeback to beat Cal 39-38. Louisville, once among the ACC’s top-ranked teams alongside Clemson and Miami, dropped out of the rankings following a 34-27 loss to SMU.
SMU debuted in the power rankings at No. 22, and Pittsburgh moved up to No. 19 after a solid 34-24 win over North Carolina.
Clemson also rose five spots to No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, while moving up to No. 11 in the Coaches Poll. The Tigers are set to face Wake Forest on Saturday at 12 p.m., with the game televised on ESPN.