Clemson drops six spots in latest CFP Top 25. Here’s the new ranking

Chapel Fowler
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has released its second set of Top 25 rankings, and Clemson took a big hit after Saturday’s loss at Notre Dame.

The Tigers (8-1, 6-0 ACC) dropped from No. 4 to No. 10 and well outside the playoff in the second CFP ranking of the 2022 season, the selection committee announced Tuesday night on ESPN.

10 weeks into the season, No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU are now projected to make the four-team playoff, per the committee.

The committee also ranked No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Southern Cal and No. 9 Alabama ahead of Clemson after a 21-point non-conference loss to the Fighting Irish over the weekend that coach Dabo Swinney described as an “ass kicking.” It was Clemson’s worst loss to an unranked opponent since 2011.

Prior to Saturday’s loss, Clemson clinched the ACC Atlantic Division title and an ACC championship game berth by virtue of Syracuse’s loss to Pittsburgh. The Tigers can clinch their division title outright win a win against either Louisville (6-3, 3-3 ACC) this Saturday or Miami (4-5, 2-3 ACC) next Saturday.

Clemson’s clearest path back into the CFP conversation is closing the regular season with wins against Louisville, Miami and rival South Carolina then beating the ACC Coastal Division champion (No. 15 UNC is a game away from clinching) in Charlotte.

That would put the Tigers at 12-1 and in the best possible position ahead of Selection Day. Still, they’d need dominoes to fall across other leagues to seriously contend for the No. 4 spot and a seventh playoff spot in eight years (they missed it in 2021).

As of this week, bowl projections have pegged the Orange Bowl as Clemson’s most likely postseason destination. The Orange Bowl annually hosts the ACC champion or the highest remaining ACC team if the champion advances to the CFP. Other projections have Clemson in the Gator Bowl and Cheez-It Bowl, two lower-tier Florida bowls that also have ACC tie-ins.

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has been tasked since 2014 with ranking and ultimately matching the No. 1 and No. 4 teams and No. 2 and No. 3 teams in semifinal games that rotate annually among six major bowls.

This season, the CFP will release updated rankings each Tuesday of November before issuing its final rankings on Sunday, Dec. 4, also known as Selection Day.

The Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta will host this season’s playoff semifinals on December 31, 2022, with SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles set to host the national championship game on January 9, 2023.

Second CFP Top 25 ranking of 2022

  • No. 1: Georgia (9-0)

  • No. 2: Ohio State (9-0)

  • No. 3: Michigan (9-0)

  • No. 4: TCU (9-0)

  • No. 5: Tennessee (8-1)

  • No. 6: Oregon (8-1)

  • No. 7: LSU (7-2)

  • No. 8: Southern Cal (8-1)

  • No. 9: Alabama (7-2)

  • No. 10: Clemson (8-1)

  • No. 11: Ole Miss (8-1)

  • No. 12: UCLA (8-1)

  • No. 13: Utah (7-2)

  • No. 14: Penn State (7-2)

  • No. 15: UNC (8-1)

  • No. 16: NC State (7-2)

  • No. 17: Tulane (8-1)

  • No. 18: Texas (6-3)

  • No. 19: Kansas State (6-3)

  • No. 20: Notre Dame (6-3)

  • No. 21: Illinois (7-2)

  • No. 22: UCF (7-2)

  • No. 23: Florida State (6-3)

  • No. 24: Kentucky (6-3)

  • No. 25: Washington (7-2)

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