Clemson makes big jump in ESPN rankings

Clemson jumped 13 spots to No. 18 in the ESPN SP+ ratings.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Sunday, September 08 2024

A statistically dominant effort in the home opener saw some big movement for Clemson football in two ESPN rankings.

ESPN's SP+ metric vaulted the Dabo Swinney's Tigers up 13 spots to No. 18 overall ($).

The Tigers moved to No. 20 on offense and No. 24 on defense, with a No. 59-ranked special teams group.

That still slots third in the ACC behind Miami (10), who Clemson would be a four-point underdog to on a neutral field by the ratings, and Louisville (14), who would be a one-point favorite.

Opener opponent Georgia leads that ranking, followed by Ohio State, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. Clemson's next foe, NC State, dropped to No. 56 after getting dominated by Tennessee in Charlotte on Saturday.

Clemson also jumped eight spots to No. 14 overall in ESPN's Football Power Index rating. That currently gives Clemson the third-best shot to make the Playoff out of the ACC (30.3%), following its No. 12 Miami (41.3) and No. 11 Louisville (36.3).

Texas paces the FPI after jumping two spots to there, ahead of Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee.

New rankings

ESPN SP+: 18 (+13)

ESPN FPI: 14 (+8)