Athlon Sports ranks Clemson in preseason top-5 |
Athlon Sports released its preseason top 25 on Wednesday and
has Clemson returning to the top tier.
The Tigers checked in at No. 4 overall, trailing only Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. "The Tigers won double-digit games for the 11th consecutive year in 2021 but failed to make the CFB Playoff for the first time since '14," Steve Lassan writes. "Was last season a one-year blip or a sign of a small slip from the top of college football? Although question marks remain, coach Dabo Swinney's team should be able to lean on its defense to return to the top of the ACC...Clemson's defense is good enough to win the ACC title again. However, in order to return to the playoff, the offense has to improve." Rounding out the top-5 is Jimbo Fisher's Texas A&M Aggies. Nov. 5 road trip opponent Notre Dame is No. 7 on the list. "Marcus Freeman steps into one of the best situations for any first-year coach, as the Fighting Irish bring back 14 starters and have won double-digit games in each of the last five seasons," said Lassan. The next-highest ranked team from the ACC is NC State at No. 12, with Wake Forest not too far behind (No. 16) and Coastal Division reps Miami (20) and Pittsburgh (23) also cracking the top-25. Clemson opens its season at Georgia Tech on Sept. 5 in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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