ESPN released its latest college football power rankings after Week 8 of the season.
Clemson (8-0, 6-0 ACC) stayed put at No. 5 in the power rankings following its 27-21 win over Syracuse on Saturday at Death Valley.
“The Tigers turned to backup quarterback Cade Klubnik to rally them to a 27-21 win over Syracuse in a game that was far from perfect,” ESPN’s Andrea Adelson wrote. “DJ Uiagalelei had three turnovers, sending him to the bench with Clemson down 21-10. Klubnik only threw four passes, but the offense settled down and relied on its powerful rushing game to take control. Clemson had 60 rushing attempts for 293 yards, both season highs, in its first comeback victory led by a backup quarterback since Chase Brice did it against Syracuse in 2018. Clemson won with a minus-3 turnover margin for the first time since 2012. The defense, meanwhile, held Syracuse without a score in the second half and limited Sean Tucker to five carries. Clemson has won 38 straight at home, an ACC record.”
The top four in ESPN’s updated power rankings stayed the same, with Ohio State at No. 1, Georgia at No. 2, Tennessee at No. 3 and Michigan at No. 4.
Behind Clemson, the rest of the top 10 in ESPN’s latest power rankings is comprised of Alabama, TCU, Oregon, Oklahoma State and Southern Cal.
Besides Clemson, the other ACC teams in the top 25 of the power rankings are 6-1 Wake Forest (No. 11), 6-1 Syracuse (No. 19), 6-1 North Carolina (No. 22) and 5-2 NC State (No. 24).
Clemson will have an open date next weekend before returning to action at Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 5 for the Tigers’ final true road game of the season (7:30 p.m., NBC). The Tigers will then conclude the regular season with a three-game homestand against Louisville, Miami and South Carolina.
