National analyst explains why he sees Clemson outside Top 10 programs in college football

247Sports/CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate recently dropped the rankings and assessed Clemson as the No. 11 program in the spot going into the 2025 campaign.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · Thursday, February 27 2025

Clemson checked in just outside of the Top 10 and was the only ACC team to make one national analyst's ranking of the top programs in college football.

247Sports/CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate recently dropped the rankings and assessed Clemson as the No. 11 program in the sport going into the 2025 campaign.

The metric is billed as "a four-year rolling blend of talent acquisition, on-field results and program resources/stability."

Georgia tops it, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Alabama. Opener opponent LSU is one spot ahead of Clemson, and the 12-team list is rounded out by Ole Miss.

Pate explained why he placed Clemson there, addressing some who might not see the ACC Tigers in that tier currently.

"They've won two of the last three ACC titles. There's been a lot of talk about them slipping. Well, they have slipped. It's accurate. They've slipped down to 11," Pate said. "They're not out of the Top 12. There aren't 12 programs better than them in college football over the past four years. They've averaged a 10-win season. You're going to push back on that -- knowing our audience -- I'm gonna look at the comment section and someone is gonna say, 'Yeah, they've done it in the ACC.' I get that. I have accounted for that. That's why I don't have them Top 10. Got them down there at No. 11."

Pate says Clemson fits outside of the Top 10 for good-but-not-great results over the last four seasons compared to past glory.

"They've been very good at acquiring talent. I use those words very purposefully," he said. "They've been very good. They have not been great. They have not been elite. The last three classes have finished outside the Top 10. Clemson doesn't take a ton of kids because they don't lose a ton of kids. So it knocks them down a little bit and it makes the final recruiting ranking look a little bit different than what it really is.

"Having said that, they've still been off the pace that they were on several years ago, but not bad. Just not elite. Their on-field results: not bad, just not elite. Their staff has not been bad. It has not been elite. Now as for the latter, I will say I think Dabo Swinney has taken some big steps with Garrett Riley a couple cycles ago and hiring on the defensive side, organizationally they've brought some guys in. I think he's taken steps there...A lot of this is not predictive. So this is a reflection of the last four years."