Tag: Clemson Tigers

Miami loss throws the ACC into chaos in new US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11

Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.

USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday, and with no undefeated teams left in the ACC, all semblance of order in the conference left the room.

The Miami Hurricanes, after completing double-digit comebacks over Virginia Tech, California, and Duke in the second half, finally came up short when star quarterback Cam Ward fumbled the ball away against Georgia Tech in the final two minutes. The Yellow Jackets ran out the clock for a 28-23 win, giving them another marquee victory for the season and knocking Miami down to 12th in the rankings.

Nine days ago, the Clemson Tigers would have been seen as the natural successor to Ward and the Hurricanes. However, after last week’s loss at the hands of Louisville, the Tigers trailed Virginia Tech by seven points at halftime on Saturday. While Clemson eventually put the victory away, the Tigers still only moved up to 16th.

Now, the SMU Mustangs stand as the last team without a loss in conference play. Rhett Lashlee and his program, now 13th in the Coaches Poll, control their own destiny for the College Football Playoff. And if Duke football fans squint, they can see a vote for the Blue Devils at the very bottom of the results.

Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 10-0 1,375 (55)
2 Ohio State Buckeyes 8-1 1,314
3 Texas Longhorns 8-1 1,262
4 Tennessee Volunteers 8-1 1,138
5 Penn State Nittany Lions 8-1 1,113
6 Indiana Hoosiers 10-0 1,057
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-1 1,038
8 BYU Cougars 9-0 994
9 Alabama Crimson Tide 7-2 899
10 Georgia Bulldogs 7-2 887
11 Ole Miss Rebels 8-2 877
12 Miami Hurricanes 9-1 820
13 SMU Mustangs 8-1 691
14 Boise State Broncos 8-1 691
15 Texas A&M Aggies 7-2 597
16 Clemson Tigers 7-2 536
17 Army Black Knights 9-0 466
18 Washington State Cougars 8-1 385
19 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 332
20 Colorado Buffaloes 7-2 329
21 Missouri Tigers 7-2 277
22 LSU Tigers 6-3 257
23 South Carolina Gamecocks 6-3 118
24 Louisville Cardinals 6-3 109
25 Iowa State Cyclones 7-2 92

Dropped Out

No. 23 Pittsburgh; No. 25 Vanderbilt

Receiving Votes

Tulane 85; Louisiana 42; Arizona State 30; Pittsburgh 28; UNLV 17; Memphis 11; Navy 3; James Madison 2; Illinois 2; Duke 1

Five ACC teams included in initial College Football Playoff rankings

The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the year on Tuesday with five ACC teams in the top 25.

The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the 2024 season on Tuesday night, and the Miami Hurricanes predictably led the five ACC teams included in the top 25.

The undefeated Hurricanes, who scored five second-half touchdowns to beat the Blue Devils 53-31 on Saturday, start the playoff cycle in fourth behind the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Georgia Bulldogs.

While the Clemson Tigers spent much of the season in position for an at-large berth in the 12-team field, Louisville beat them in their own stadium last weekend to knock Dabo Swinney’s team all the way down to 23rd. Without a strong run to the conference title, Clemson is likely out of contention.

The SMU Mustangs, on the other hand, are very much not out of contention. SMU beat Duke in overtime just two weeks ago after blocking a 30-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, but a dominant 48-25 victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh moved them up to 13th.

While the Hurricanes would be the only team from the conference in the projected playoff bracket as of Tuesday, another upset or two could bump SMU into an at-large spot.

Pittsburgh starts the playoff cycle at 18th while Louisville moved itself up to 22nd after its big win.

Dabo Swinney was blocked from voting and jokingly blamed it on Clemson’s loss to Louisville

That’d be quite the turn of events!

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney will apparently have to wait until Friday to have his vote counted in the 2024 presidential election.

According to Swinney, a balloting mix-up with his legal name and his son’s — both named William Swinney — prevented the Clemson coach from voting on Tuesday. However, he at least had a good sense of humor about it when talking with reporters after the snafu.

“They done voted me out the state,” Dabo Swinney joked while referencing Clemson’s 33-21 home loss to Louisville on Saturday being the reason why he couldn’t vote the first time.

However, the coach said both Swinneys should have their votes counted on Friday once they get everything sorted out.

“I don’t know if it’ll matter on Friday,” Dabo Swinney joked, as America will most likely know the winner of the presidential election by then.”

However, the votes should still count in the end all the same.

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Miami leads five ACC teams in latest AP Poll Top 25 after Week 10

After a crazy Week 10 slate, a new ACC team emerged as the biggest threat to the Miami Hurricanes atop the conference.

For most of the 2024 college football season, ACC fans believed that the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers were on a crash course for the conference championship game.

Miami owned the most productive offense in the country thanks to Heisman Trophy frontrunner Cam Ward, and the Tigers (with two national championships under their belt since 2016) had looked absolutely unstoppable since their Week 1 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Other teams around the conference looked impressive, but there was a clear top two. Right?

Well, not so much after Saturday.

The Louisville Cardinals left Death Valley with a 33-21 victory over Clemson, leaving tattered dreams of the College Football Playoff bracket in their wake. While the Hurricanes shifted up one spot to No. 4 in the newest AP Poll, the Tigers slid all the way down to No. 19 with a second loss on their resume.

The Clemson loss left an opening in the ACC power vacuum, and the SMU Mustangs vaulted forward to fill it with a 48-25 victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers. In their first year as members of the conference, the Mustangs have now won their first five ACC games with wins over Louisville, Duke, and Pittsburgh on their ledger, and it helped them climb seven spots to No. 13 in the new AP rankings.

The Oregon Ducks held tight onto the top spot after a 38-17 road victory over the defending national championships, the Michigan Wolverines, who dropped to 5-4 for the year. The Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Texas Longhorns joined Miami within the top five.

SMU emerges as Miami’s top ACC competitor in new US LBM Coaches Poll

Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.

USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday after the top of the ACC got shaken up over the weekend.

The Miami Hurricanes trailed Duke by as many as 11 points in the second half, but five touchdowns over the final 25 minutes helped star quarterback Cam Ward and his teammates remain undefeated.

The Clemson Tigers and Pittsburgh Panthers weren’t so lucky. After winning six games in a row, the Tigers saw their playoff chances dwindle to a prayer after the Louisville Cardinals came into their stadium and left with a 33-21 victory.

The Panthers, who won their first seven games of the season, never stood a chance on the road against a motivated SMU team. Running back Brashard Smith ran for 161 yards and scored three total touchdowns as the Mustangs led by 37 points with five minutes to play, and two late Pitt touchdowns could only salvage a 48-25 final score.

SMU and Miami now sit in the driver’s seat for the ACC Championship Game as the only teams undefeated in conference play. The Hurricanes rose to fourth in this week’s voting while the Mustangs shifted all the way up to 15th.

Clemson tumbled down to 17th with their defeat, and the Panthers fell all the way down to 23rd. But here come the Cardinals near the bottom of the rankings, second among the teams receiving votes for an unofficial spot at 27th.

Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 9-0 1,349 (53)
2 Georgia Bulldogs 7-1 1,267 (1)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 7-1 1,245
4 Miami Hurricanes 9-0 1,194
5 Texas Longhorns 7-1 1,138
6 Tennessee Volunteers 7-1 1,039
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 7-1 982
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1 961
9 BYU Cougars 8-0 918
10 Indiana Hoosiers 9-0 916
11 Alabama Crimson Tide 6-2 772
12 Ole Miss Rebels 7-2 657
13 LSU Tigers 6-2 653
14 Boise State Broncos 7-1 615
15 SMU Mustangs 8-1 603
16 Texas A&M Aggies 6-2 518
17 Clemson Tigers 6-2 513
18 Iowa State Cyclones 7-1 511
19 Army Black Knights 8-0 404
20 Washington State Cougars 7-1 284
21 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 201
22 Missouri Tigers 6-2 192
23 Pittsburgh Panthers 7-1 178
24 Colorado Buffaloes 6-2 124
25 Vanderbilt Commodores 6-3 85

Dropped Out

No. 24 Illinois; No. 25 Memphis

Receiving Votes

Tulane 38; Louisville 38; South Carolina 33; Louisiana 27; Syracuse 24; UNLV 17; Arizona State 17; Minnesota 14; Iowa 13; Memphis 5; Illinois 3; Texas Tech 1; James Madison 1

Duke comes in sixth in USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings ahead of Week 10

After Week 9, Duke ranks sixth in the USA TODAY Sports ACC rankings following a close loss to SMU.

Despite their Week 9 loss to the SMU Mustangs, the Duke Blue Devils stayed put at sixth in the USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings from Craig Meyer.

The Blue Devils still sit within the top half of the conference after taking a ranked SMU team to overtime thanks to six forced turnovers.

“The Blue Devils very nearly knocked off SMU in a game they had multiple opportunities to win late,” Meyer wrote, most obviously citing the 30-yard field goal that the Mustangs blocked on the final play of regulation.

Duke matched SMU’s touchdown in overtime but opted to play for the win with a 2-point conversion. Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer said on Monday that the Blue Devils missed the winning play by about a foot.

Now with a 6-2 record, Duke ranks behind the Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, Pittsburgh Panthers, SMU Mustangs, and Syracuse Orange on Meyer’s list in order. None of those teams moved up or down in the Week 10 update either.

Looking to rebound from the loss, the Blue Devils will face the undefeated Miami Hurricanes in Week 10. Miami is coming off a 36-14 dominant victory over the Florida State Seminoles, and Duke coach Manny Diaz led the Hurricanes from 2019-21 before being replaced by current coach Mario Cristobal. Diaz insisted on Monday that the homecoming won’t be a revenge game.

Duke football completely drops from AP Poll after overtime loss to SMU

The Duke Blue Devils didn’t receive a vote in Sunday’s updated AP Poll after their 28-27 loss to the SMU Mustangs.

After a brief appearance with a few votes last week, the Duke Blue Devils were nowhere to be found in the updated AP Poll on Sunday.

Duke fell behind the SMU Mustangs by 14 points midway through the third quarter on Saturday night, but a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Maalik Murphy tied the game with less than ten minutes remaining. Despite the defense intercepting SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings twice and forcing another fumble on the closing three possessions, part of a six-turnover day for the Blue Devils, two missed field goals doomed Duke to overtime.

Kicker Todd Pelino actually had a 30-yard attempt to win the game in the final three seconds, but Mustangs defensive end Jahfari Harvey jumped over the line and got his hand up for a deflection. Murphy threw another touchdown in overtime, but a failed 2-point conversion ended the upset effort.

SMU moved up two spots to 20th as they remained one of four ACC teams in the rankings. The Miami Hurricanes broke into the top five after their 36-14 victory over the Florida State Seminoles, and the Clemson Tigers (11th) and Pittsburgh Panthers (18th) also appeared.

The Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Ohio State Buckeyes remained the top four teams in order.

Clemson schedule: Are the Tigers playing today? 

Is Clemson playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come. 

Will the Clemson Tigers be on the field today in Week 9 of the 2024 college football season?

After a 48-31 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in ACC play on Oct. 19, the Tigers have a bye in Week 9 but will be back in action next Saturday, Nov. 2 when the Louisville Cardinals come to Death Valley.

The Cardinals rallied from 20 points down in the first half on Friday night to defeat Boston College, 31-27, in Boston. Coach Jeff Brohm and Louisville were a popular preseason pick to challenge Clemson in the ACC but fell out of the Top 25 after starting the year 4-3.

Kickoff time and TV information for the Tigers and Cardinals’ matchup at Clemson Memorial Stadium has not been announced as of Saturday morning.

Clemson is ranked No. 9 in the Coaches Poll and are 6-1 overall. Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have won six straight games and have outscored opponents by an average of 27.3 points per game.

RELATED: Cade Klubnik among nation’s top 5 quarterbacks in new power rankings

Clemson Tigers 2024 schedule

  • Aug. 31 vs Georgia (L, 34-3)
  • Sept. 7 vs Appalachian State (W, 66-20)
  • Sept. 21 vs NC State (W, 59-35)
  • Sept. 28 vs Stanford (W, 40-14)
  • Oct. 5 at Florida State (W, 29-13)
  • Oct. 12 at Wake Forest (W, 49-14)
  • Oct. 19 vs Virginia (W, 48-31)
  • Oct. 26 BYE
  • Nov. 2 vs Louisville
  • Nov. 9 at Virginia Tech
  • Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh
  • Nov. 23 vs The Citadel
  • Nov. 30 vs South Carolina

Record: 6-1 overall

Where is ESPN College GameDay in Week 9?

Here’s where ESPN College GameDay will be for Week 9.

ESPN and ‘College GameDay’ announced where it would be for Week 9 of the college football season this Saturday.

It’s a location the GameDay crew has never been before. The crew of Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee will be in Bloomington, Ind., for the 13th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers’ Big Ten contest against the Washington Huskies.

The game will kick off at noon ET on Big Ten Network. Indiana is 7-0 for the first time since 1967. That year, the Hoosiers started 8-0 and earned an invitation to the Rose Bowl to face the USC Trojans.

Washington is 4-3 under first-year coach Jedd Fisch. Indiana is also in its first season under a new coach in Curt Cignetti, a former Saban assistant at Alabama who was the Crimson Tide’s recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2007-10.

The trip to Bloomington is sure to be an emotional one for Corso in particular. The 89-year-old college football and ‘GameDay’ icon coached at Indiana for 10 seasons from 1973-82.

Other Top 25 matchups in Week 9 include the No. 17 Missouri Tigers vs. the No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 24 Navy (at MetLife Stadium), No. 21 Illinois at the No. 1 Oregon Ducks, and the No. 6 Texas Longhorns at No. 25 Vanderbilt .

RELATED: ESPN analyst Greg McElroy on how ‘dramatic’ the ACC title race could be

Could Clemson be a ‘GameDay’ destination?

The Clemson Tigers have three home games remaining on their 2024 slate, two of which are against Power Four conference members in the Louisville Cardinals and the in-state rivalry with South Carolina. Neither would seem a likely destination for the GameDay crew.

Clemson (6-1) has a bye this week before Louisville visits Death Valley on Nov. 2. Kickoff time and broadcast/TV information for the game have not been announced. The Tigers are ranked No. 9 in this week’s Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll.

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Clemson outside USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll

Clemson is considered a top 35-40 college basketball team by coaches.

With the start of the 2024-25 college basketball season only days away, Wednesday saw the unveiling of the preseason USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

The Clemson Tigers placed outside the Top 25, same as with the preseason AP Top 25 poll last week. The Tigers garnered eight votes for Top 25 consideration in the coaches poll.

Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks took the No. 1 spot in the preseason poll, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2. The two-time defending champion UConn Huskies were ranked No. 3, with the Houston Cougars No. 4 and Duke Blue Devils No. 5.

Duke and the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels were the only ACC schools that were ranked in the Top 25. Behind Duke and UNC, Clemson’s eight votes for consideration were the most of any ACC school outside the Top 25.

The Tigers made the NCAA Tournament last season as a No. 6 seed and reeled off three straight wins against the No. 11 seed New Mexico Lobos, the No. 3 seed Baylor Bears and the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. Clemson fell, 89-82, to Alabama with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Coach Brad Brownell’s 2024-25 team returns sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter and senior forward Ian Schieffelin, the ACC’s Most Improved Player from a season ago.

The Tigers open the season on Monday, Nov. 4 at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

Rank School Last Year’s Record Points
1 Kansas 23-11 743 (15)
2 Alabama 25-12 718 (6)
3 Connecticut 37-3 717 (6)
4 Houston 32-5 698 (4)
5 Duke 27-9 625
6 Iowa State 29-8 591
7 Gonzaga 27-8 575
8 Baylor 24-11 545
9 Arizona 27-9 510
10 North Carolina 29-8 498
11 Auburn 27-8 465
12 Tennessee 27-9 437
13 Purdue 34-5 390
14 Creighton 25-10 342
15 Texas A&M 21-15 332
16 Arkansas 16-17 272
17 Marquette 27-10 268
18 Indiana 19-14 208
19 Texas 21-13 166
20 Cincinnati 22-15 163
21 Florida 24-12 130
22 UCLA 16-17 123
23 Kentucky 23-10 95
24 Illinois 29-9 87
25 Mississippi 20-12 66

Dropped Out:

No. 13 North Carolina State (26-15); No. 15 Clemson (24-12); No. 18 San Diego State (26-11); No. 20 Utah State (28-7); No. 22 Saint Mary’s (26-8); No. 23 South Carolina (26-8); No. 24 Washington State (25-10); No. 25 Texas Tech (23-11)

Others Receiving Votes:

Texas Tech (23-11) 60; Rutgers (15-17) 57; St. John’s (20-13) 42; Xavier (16-18) 26; Michigan State (20-15) 25; Brigham Young (23-11) 16; Oregon (24-12) 16; Kansas State (19-15) 11; Boise State (22-11) 9; Saint Mary’s (26-8) 9; Clemson (24-12) 8; Dayton (25-8) 7; Ohio State (22-14) 7; Maryland (16-17) 4; Grand Canyon (30-5) 3; Mississippi State (21-14) 2; Princeton (24-5) 2; San Diego State (26-11) 2; Virginia (23-11) 2; Wake Forest (21-14); Wisconsin (22-14)

The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2024-25 season: Tobin Anderson, Iona; Adrian Autry, Syracuse; John Becker, Vermont; Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jeff Boals, Ohio; Alvin Brooks, Lamar; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Dan Earl, Chattanooga; Jonas Hayes, Georgia State; Alan Huss, High Point; Donte’ Jackson, Grambling; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee; Mike McGarvey, Lafayette; Niko Medved, Colorado State; Dan Monson, Eastern Washington; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Olen, UC San Diego; Matt Painter, Purdue; Michael Schwartz, East Carolina; Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian; Stan Waterman, Delaware State; Jeff Wulbrun, Denver.

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