Clemson football falls out of Top 25 for first time in two seasons

For the first time in almost two years, the Clemson football team is unranked in The Associated Press Top 25.

The Tigers were just outside of the poll that was released Sunday. Clemson had 86 points, 20 behind 25th-ranked Iowa.

The Tigers were last unranked during an eight-week stretch from October 2021 to November 2021. Before that, Clemson hadn’t been unranked since November 2014 (107 straight weeks).

Clemson is still ranked in the USA Today coaches poll. The Tigers dropped one spot there from No. 21 to No. 22.

The Tigers are 1-1 on the season after Saturday’s 66-17 win over Charleston Southern. Clemson, the preseason No. 9 team, lost its opener to then-unranked Duke by 21 points Monday.

Coach Dabo Swinney, speaking during his weekly Sunday teleconference, said he doesn’t put much stock into week-to-week rankings.

“I really don’t care,” Swinney said. “I don’t care if we were ranked No. 1 or No. 25 or not ranked. We just gotta win ball games and all that stuff takes care of itself.”

Clemson (1-1, 0-1 ACC) hosts Florida Atlantic (1-1) this Saturday at Memorial Stadium (8 p.m., ACC Network). It’s the team’s first home night game of the season.

As of Sunday’s poll ahead of Week 3 games, there are four more ranked teams remaining on Clemson’s 2023 schedule.

The Tigers will play No. 4 Florida State at home in two weekends and also have home games against No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 20 North Carolina and a trip to No. 22 Miami on deck for later this season.

“We’ve got a tough schedule ahead, and if we manage our schedule around here like we have in years past, all that stuff takes care of itself,” Swinney said. “Here we are sitting at 1-1 after two games but nobody knows who anybody is, honestly.”

“We’ve got a chance to be a good football team, but we’ve gotta work our way to that.”

Week 3 Associated Press Top 25

Record in parentheses

Team / Pts

1. Georgia (2-0) 1540 (55 first-place votes)

2. Michigan (2-0) 1458 (2 first-place votes)

3. Florida State (2-0) 1413 (3 first-place votes)

4. Texas (2-0) 1338 (2 first-place votes)

5. Southern Cal (2-0) 1269

6. Ohio State (2-0) 1265

7. Penn State (2-0) 1204

8. Washington (2-0) 1102

9. Notre Dame (2-0) 1015

10. Alabama (1-1) 953

11. Tennessee (2-0) 929

12. Utah (2-0) 847

13. Oregon (2-0) 827

14. LSU (1-1) 667

15. Kansas St (2-0) 636

16. Oregon St (2-0) 605

17. Ole Miss (2-0) 505

18. Colorado (2-0) 481

19. Oklahoma (2-0) 453

20. North Carolina (2-0) 444

21. Duke (2-0) 421

22. Miami (2-0) 230

23. Washington St. (2-0) 129

24. UCLA (2-0) 107

25. Iowa (2-0) 106

Others receiving votes: Clemson 86, Arkansas 33, TCU 19, Kansas 19, Tulane 17, Wisconsin 10, Kentucky 5, Mississippi St. 5, Minnesota 3, Cincinnati 3, Fresno St. 2, Wyoming 1, Oklahoma St. 1, Maryland 1, James Madison 1