Clemson Media Poll: Final ranks before championships, Clemson 2023 QB lookahead |
The updated College Football Playoff rankings have been released and so have the Clemson Media Poll rankings. Each week we poll 24 Clemson media members including writers, radio hosts, bloggers, and podcasters to get a pulse on how those closest to the Tigers assess the lay of the land. The polls close before the College Football Playoff rankings are released and then we compare them to see where we differ from the playoff committee.
Action on the Field: The Tigers' passing game had another implosion on Saturday against South Carolina and it led to their second loss. DJ Uiagalelei struggled, but the wide receivers' continued struggles stretching all the way back to last season may have been the bigger issue. Although the Tigers probably should have given Cade Klubnik some opportunities, offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter rightly pointed to the drops by wide receivers as the bigger issue. As it stands, the Tigers are out of the playoff hunt, but they still have a chance to win the ACC and earn an Orange Bowl berth. Taking a very small amount of that pain away is the fact that other games around the country broke in a way such that the Tigers were likely not going to make the playoff anyway. Ohio State – who opened their season with a win over Notre Dame – was upset by Michigan. Ohio State will obviously stay above Clemson given the Tigers’ loss, but likely would have either way given their win over the Fighting Irish. Southern Cal handled their business against Notre Dame, giving the Irish their fourth loss of the season and bringing the Trojans' record to 11-1. Oregon State also knocked off Oregon for their ninth win of the season, making USC’s earlier win over the Beavers look all the better. USC would have almost certainly been ahead of a 1-loss Clemson. Finally, TCU easily dispatched Iowa State 62-14. As one of just three undefeated teams remaining, TCU is in line for a top 3-seed if they can finish the job with a win over Kansas State in the conference title game. With those results, a 1-loss Clemson would at best be sitting at No. 6 needing both TCU and USC to lose on championship Saturday. While that doesn’t make a pitiful loss to the rival Gamecocks acceptable, at least it won’t be the reason they missed the playoff. In other action, UNC lost their rivalry game to NC State on Friday and LSU was stunned by Texas A&M whose previously dormant offense accounted for 38 points in a 38-24 Aggies victory. With Clemson, North Carolina, and LSU all losing on rivalry week, conference championship weekend may be the least intriguing in years. Clemson Media Poll vs. College Football Playoff Committee The Clemson Media and the CFP Committee are right in step in their top 8. Ohio State is at #5 and ready to jump into the playoff if USC loses. If TCU loses, it will lead to a tough decision between 12-1 TCU and 11-1 Ohio State. Clemson Media ranks Washington #9, while the CFP Committee is less impressed with the Huskies and has them all the way down at #12. For the first time all year, the CFP Committee ranked Clemson higher than Clemson Media. The CFP Committee only dropped Clemson to #9 while Clemson Media dropped them to #10. Either way, the rankings no longer matter for the Tigers. If they beat UNC, they will be ACC Champs and head to the Orange Bowl. In this week’s bonus question, we asked voters who they believe will start at QB in Clemson’s season opener against Wofford next season. An overwhelming 82% believe it will be Cade Klubnik, with only 18% expecting DJ Uiagalelei to be under center for the first snap of the 2023 season. So, tell us in the comments. Who do you believe will be under center to begin next year? What do you think of the Clemson Media rankings?
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
