The Clemson Tigers survived an upset scare on Saturday against the Pitt Panthers at Acrisure Stadium to keep their ACC championship hopes alive with two games left in the regular season.
Unfortunately, the fact that the Tigers (8-2 overall, 7-1 ACC) needed a late 50-yard touchdown run by Cade Klubnik for a last-minute 24-20 victory didn’t impress many pollsters. Clemson stayed at No. 16 in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, released Sunday.
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The Tigers are ranked one spot below No. 15 BYU (9-1), which lost its first game of the season in a 17-13 upset home loss to Kansas on Saturday. Dabo Swinney’s team is ranked one spot ahead of No. 17 Army (9-0), which has already clinched a berth in the AAC Championship Game.
As for the top 5-10, the Oregon Ducks (11-0) remained No. 1 for the fifth straight week after surviving a close call against Wisconsin at Camp Randall. Ohio State (9-1) stayed at No. 2 after beating Northwestern, 31-7, in a game played at Wrigley Field.
The Texas Longhorns (9-1) stayed at No. 3 after their 20-10 win over Arkansas. Penn State (9-1) rose to No. 4 after Tennessee’s 31-17 loss to Georgia, and the Indiana Hoosiers (No. 5, 10-0) moved into the top five of the Coaches Poll for the first time this season.
Miami (9-1) remained the ACC’s highest-ranked team and rounded out the top 10. SMU (9-1) rose one spot to No. 12. Clemson needs either a Miami loss to Wake Forest or Syracuse in the Hurricanes’ final two regular season games, or an SMU loss to Virginia or Cal in order for the Tigers to reach the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.
The Tigers moved up three spots to No. 20 in last week’s College Football Playoff rankings, one spot ahead of rival South Carolina. LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks improved to 7-3 on Saturday and climbed four spots to No. 19 in this week’s Coaches Poll.
Clemson hosts South Carolina in Death Valley on Nov. 30, a week after the Tigers face The Citadel in Week 13. Kickoff for Clemson vs. The Citadel this Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on The CW network.
Full Week 12 US LBM Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 11-0 | 1,375 (55) |
| 2 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 9-1 | 1,316 |
| 3 | Texas Longhorns | 9-1 | 1,263 |
| 4 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 9-1 | 1,158 |
| 5 | Indiana Hoosiers | 10-0 | 1,109 |
| 6 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 9-1 | 1096 |
| 7 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 8-2 | 996 |
| 8 | Georgia Bulldogs | 8-2 | 993 |
| 9 | Ole Miss Rebels | 8-2 | 984 |
| 10 | Miami Hurricanes | 9-1 | 847 |
| 11 | Tennessee Volunteers | 8-2 | 823 |
| 12 | SMU Mustangs | 9-1 | 744 |
| 13 | Boise State Broncos | 9-1 | 714 |
| 14 | Texas A&M Aggies | 8-2 | 646 |
| 15 | BYU Cougars | 9-1 | 633 |
| 16 | Clemson Tigers | 8-2 | 569 |
| 17 | Army Black Knights | 9-0 | 509 |
| 18 | Colorado Buffaloes | 8-2 | 464 |
| 19 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 7-3 | 379 |
| 20 | Tulane Green Wave | 9-2 | 280 |
| 21 | Iowa State Cyclones | 8-2 | 268 |
| 22 | Arizona State Sun Devils | 8-2 | 251 |
| 23 | UNLV Rebels | 8-2 | 93 |
| 24 | Memphis Tigers | 9-2 | 77 |
| 25 | Kansas State Wildcats | 7-3 | 67 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 18 Washington State; No. 21 Missouri; No. 22 LSU; No. 24 Louisville;
Others Receiving Votes
Washington State 65; Illinois 56; Missouri 44; Syracuse 18; James Madison 11; Duke 9; Pittsburgh 7; Louisiana 5; Louisville 2; Vanderbilt 1; Sam Houston 1; LSU 1; Colorado State 1;