Where Clemson ranks in Athlon Sports college football way-too-early Top 25 for 2024

Here is a look at where Athlon Sports ranks Clemson football in their way-too-early Top 25 rankings.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program had a solid 2023, but the team and fans did expect more out of the Tigers this past season. 

Ending their season with a 38-35 wild Gator Bowl win over Kentucky is a great end; finishing 9-4 with a 4-4 record in the ACC falls short for many. With the 2023 season behind us, the team, fans, and media move on to the 2024 season and what Clemson could look like next season. 

Clemson has the talent to be great in 2024, but a lot of development and hard work will be needed for this team to return to being a true competitor. Athlon Sports recently released their college football way-too-early Top 25 for 2024, with Clemson right in the hunt as their No.13 ranked team.

With Florida State losing a big chunk of talent from the ACC Championship team from ’23, coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are likely to open ’24 as the favorite to win the conference. After averaging only 23.6 points a contest in ACC play, Swinney hopes another offseason for quarterback Cade Klubnik under coordinator Garrett Riley will help to elevate the entire production of this group. Helping to ease the pressure on a developing offense is another standout defense in Death Valley. Linemen Peter Woods and TJ Parker and linebackers Wade Woodaz and Barrett Carter headline the top returners next season.

The Tigers are their highest-ranked team in the ACC, followed by Florida State (17), Louisville (23), NC State (25), Miami (26), Virginia Tech (28), and SMU (29). A lot of fringe top 25 teams in the ACC as the conference looks to compete with the SEC, BIG 12, and BIG 10.

Clemson should return to top-dog status in the ACC next season, but whether they’ll compete for the big one is up in the air.

Beat Baylor: Bears defensive scheme to test Longhorns next in Waco

Texas cannot take a win for granted against Baylor and defensive wizard Dave Aranda.

The Texas Longhorns (3-0) have reached Baylor week. And although the Bears (1-2) have only won 2 of their last 8 meetings, the team has won its last two home games against the Longhorns.

The 2021 matchup still leaves a salt-like sting in the wound for Texas. We expect veteran players could play with an edge. They will need an edge to escape with a win.

Texas comes off a 31-10 victory over Wyoming. The game felt much closer. Offensive struggles compounded the power of Wyoming’s early 62-yard touchdown run.

It’s equally true that Texas outscored Wyoming 31-3 after the Cowboys’ early touchdown drive, and the offense adjusted to win the fourth quarter 21-0.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that Texas is vulnerable to defenses that shatter tendencies in the first half. You can expect Baylor defensive coordinator to have a few changes up his sleeve for the Longhorns.

Baylor will probably make this another knockdown drag out game. Can the Longhorns adjust in time to win or, better yet, have plays that transfer to success regardless of what Baylor runs?

Texas takes on Baylor on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Ducks fall in post-spring ESPN power rankings; Five Pac-12 teams in top 25

The Ducks fell several spots in ESPN’s post-spring power rankings, for some reason.

One of the more trivial things that we do in the business of covering college football is making early predictions based on very little information.

For instance, you can guarantee that the morning after the national championship game each year, there will be a litany of “Way-Too-Early Top-25 Rankings” fresh in your news feed. It’s like clockwork.

What are those rankings based on? Largely returning production and very loose expectations. At that point in time, we had no idea how most rosters were going to shape up, who was going to transfer where, which team would have the top recruiting classes, or even where all of the top head coaches in the game will ultimately be.

It’s a bit early to make legitimate predictions, but we do it nonetheless.

In May after the spring football season has come and gone, another batch of rankings comes out. That seems like a much better evaluation period, doesn’t it?

The transfer portal is closed, recruiting classes are signed, and we’ve seen a ton of spring practices and spring games. It feels like we have a much better grasp of how good the top teams in the nation are.

So how do they stack up, and more importantly, where do the Oregon Ducks rank? Let’s take a look, according to the ESPN Post-Spring Power Rankings

Predicting the future: 247Sports ranks Texas as a top five team in 2025

247Sports experts believe Texas will be ranked the No. 5 team in the country in 2025.

The hype surrounding the future of Texas’ football program is through the roof. Continue reading “Predicting the future: 247Sports ranks Texas as a top five team in 2025”

Nine top-25 teams lose on Saturday, which could help USC beyond the playoff

It started with No. 1 Tennessee, but didn’t stop there. Top-25 carnage on Saturday could help #USC for reasons not related to the playoff.

The College Football Playoff landscape just shifted drastically after Saturday’s wild slate of games.

Tennessee lost the top spot after falling to the Georgia Bulldogs (the Vols shouldn’t have been No. 1 anyway, or so one could argue). Alabama fell to LSU, and Clemson lost to Notre Dame in a series of games that will alter the next set of rankings drastically.

The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins both won and should move up, although they might not move up all that much after not playing good games.

The new top 25 will change a lot, and it will be interesting to see how the newest CFP rankings change in a couple of days.

There is more to say about the changes in the rankings, which will affect a number of teams below the Trojans. This could mean something important for USC in the postseason, as we’ll explain below:

Georgia win over Tennessee clearly boosts Pac-12, but more help is needed

Georgia beating the Vols aids the #Pac12’s cause, but #USC needs more results for the playoff puzzle to fit. Let’s go to the scoreboard.

The Georgia Bulldogs convincingly handled the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday afternoon in Athens, smothering the Vols’ offense all day long and delivering a 27-13 win.

Follow Vols Wire for full coverage of that game.

Tennessee was No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings entering the game, while Georgia was No. 3. The Vols will fall out of the top four. Georgia should rise to No. 1 in the next rankings.

This was a good result for USC and the Pac-12, as we explained earlier in the week.

However, USC and the Pac-12 need a lot more help.

This article is being published late Saturday afternoon, before the wave of early-evening games. USC, of course, faces Cal in a late-night game.

Let’s go through some of the relevant scores for USC and the Pac-12 from Week 10’s daytime slate of games:

25 Winningest Programs To Not Make The College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff: 25 winningest teams to not make the tournament

What are the 25 winningest programs to not make the College Football Playoff? Here are the top schools in the CFP era to miss out on the fun.


Cincinnati and Michigan were able to make the College Football Playoff last season. Their doors might have been blown off by Alabama and Georgia, respectively, but they at least brought some new energy to the mini-tournament.

The College Football Playoff has only been around for eight seasons and just 13 schools – Alabama, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington – have played in it and just five won it all.

That means 90% of the FBS college football programs haven’t been in the post-season – at least the version that matters – since this grand experiment started.

That’s the equivalent of only 36 college basketball programs making the NCAA Tournament over the last eight years – which is a good idea, by the way, but I digress.

What college football programs were able to win a lot of games over the last eight years without the playoff payoff? 25 have won 60 or more games in eight seasons – averaging 7.5 a year, but it’s better than that considering some played a short schedule in 2020 – without getting the call.

If you didn’t get to 60 victories – no Texas, or Tennessee, or Nebraska, Michigan State, or North Carolina – you don’t get on the list. So with that, here are the 25 winningest teams to not make the College Football Playoff.

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25. USC

Wins Since 2014: 60
Best Season in CFP Era: 2017, 11-3, Pac-12 champion, Rose Bowl win
Realistic Chance To Make College Football Playoff This Season: Strong

Bottom Line: USC might be last on this list, but it’s got the best shot of going to the College Football Playoff this year with Lincoln Riley and a loaded all-star team ready to roll. The 2020 team would’ve had a case for the CFP if it won the Pac-12 title to finish 6-0 – it lost to Oregon, but no unbeaten Power Five champ has ever been left out. It’s been a disappointing run since going 12-1 in 2008. That’s all about to change.
USC Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

T22. NC State

Wins Since 2014: 61
Best Season in CFP Era: 2017, 9-4, Sun Bowl win
Realistic Chance To Make College Football Playoff This Season: Possible

Bottom Line: The Wolfpack have been strongly consistent since Dave Doeren took over, but they haven’t been able to get a turn in the ACC Championship mix – being in the same division with Clemson has something to do with that. This should be his best team yet, and if it can somehow get by the Tigers on the road, there’s a real shot at going 12-1 with an ACC Championship and a CFP shot. That’s a massive if, though.
NC State Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

T22. Miami

Wins Since 2014: 61
Best Season in CFP Era: 2017, 10-3, ACC Championship loss, Orange Bowl loss
Realistic Chance To Make College Football Playoff This Season: Slim

Bottom Line: Miami flirted with something fun in 2017 with a 10-0 start before losing the last three games. However, had it beaten Clemson in the ACC Championship – it lost 38-3 – it would’ve been in the CFP. This year’s schedule is too tough for a reloading team – with road games at Clemson and Texas A&M – but new head coach Mario Cristobal might just restore the glory in a hurry.
Miami Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule Analysis

T22. Western Michigan

Wins Since 2014: 61
Best Season in CFP Era: 2016, 13-1, MAC champion, Cotton Bowl loss
Realistic Chance To Make College Football Playoff This Season: None

Bottom Line: Now-Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck led the way to a phenomenal 13-0 regular season with a MAC title in 2016, and it still wasn’t enough to get near the College Football Playoff. The Broncos have been good ever since, but they haven’t been able to come close to repeating the glory. They’ll be strong this season, but even if they can win at Michigan State and against Pitt – and can run through the MAC unbeaten – it still shouldn’t be enough for a CFP shot.
WMU Preview | Top 10 PlayersSchedule

NEXT: College Football Playoff: Top 21 Programs To Not Make the CFP

Texas football not included in AP Top 25 preseason rankings

The Longhorns will have to prove it on the field this year.

The first AP poll was released Monday morning, but Texas did not make the cut. Given the uncertainty surrounding the team, it’s hard to blame voters for not staking their reputation to Texas’ success.

The Longhorns came in just outside the Top 25 with 164 votes. Only Tennessee (180) received more Top 25 votes among teams that did not make the poll.

Injuries could play a role in Texas’ ranking. Losing Isaiah Neyor and Junior Angilau for the season could have significant ramifications for the team. In addition, the lack of proven commodities at quarterback and offensive line could be the reason for the wait-and-see approach.

On a positive note, the lack of attention could allow Texas to work in silence heading into the season. Michigan, Michigan State and Baylor enjoyed great seasons after not making last year’s Top 25 poll in Week 1.

The Longhorns have to prove it on the field, but have enough talent to have a strong season this year.

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5 teams that are listed as overrated in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Which five teams start 2022 overrated in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll?

The preseason edition of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released today. Iowa just missed out on making it into the preseason top 25. In fact, the Hawkeyes were quite literally the first team on the outside looking in.

USA TODAY Sports’ Scooby Axson listed the Iowa Hawkeyes among his five teams that got snubbed. What about the teams that flat-out got too much love? USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith took a look at five overrated teams.

Iowa and four others listed as snubs in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

USA TODAY Sports’ Scooby Axson listed the Iowa Hawkeyes among his five teams that were snubbed in the preseason coaches poll.

USA TODAY Sports released its 2022 preseason AFCA Coaches Poll and the Iowa Hawkeyes were the first team on the outside of the top 25 looking in. For a team that won the Big Ten West last season and returns plenty of firepower defensively, it’s surprised some that Iowa starts outside the coaches’ top 25.

Iowa isn’t alone in that distinction, though. USA TODAY Sports’ Scooby Axson listed five teams, including the Iowa Hawkeyes, that were snubbed in the preseason AFCA Coaches Poll.