Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team had a bye week in Week 9 and it seems the AP Poll is punishing the Tigers for taking a week off.
After the week off, Clemson fell two spots from No. 9 to No. 11. Falling out of the Top 10, the Tigers were jumped by No. 8 Notre Dame after their win over Navy, No. 9 BYU after their win over UCF and No. 10 Texas A&M after their big win over LSU. Notre Dam and A&M both picked up some impressive wins, but Clemson also entered the bye week as one of the hottest teams in the country. It’s an interesting drop for the Tigers.
The Miami Hurricanes remain the highest ranked ACC team, landing at No. 5. It’s the first time they’ve entered the Top 5 since 2017. The ACC has four teams ranked, with Pittsburgh No. 18 and SMU No.20.
Clemson will host the Louisville Cardinals next Saturday in Death Valley at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.