Clemson drops two spots in ESPN FPI rankings |
Clemson dropped two spots in
this week's updated ESPN Football Power Index. Behind two teams that haven't played yet. Yes, it's still 2020.
Ohio State occupies the top spot (30 rating), followed by Alabama (29), Clemson (27.7) Wisconsin (23.7) and Georgia (22.6). Yes, that's Clemson as the only team to play a game yet in that top-5 but that will change with the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs opening play next weekend. The Tigers are rated with the No. 3 offense, No. 2 defense and No. 7 special teams efficiency so far there. Elsewhere on the site in the analytics area, Clemson was already No. 3 in the SP+ and stayed there behind the same top-2. The Tigers, who have long languished in advanced-stat special teams rankings, are just outside the top-10 (11) in rating there among teams that have played. They rank No. 5 on offense and No. 8 on defense overall. ESPN's "power rankings" compete the trio of having a Ohio State-Alabama-Clemson top-3. "Two weeks into the season and Clemson has yet to break a sweat after crushing The Citadel 49-0 on Saturday," ESPN's Chris Low writes. "That's not to diminish how good or how talented the Tigers are, because it's obvious that they're one of the top teams in college football and extremely well-coached. Trevor Lawrence is going to make a lot of opposing defenses look bad this season. But as you look down the Tigers' schedule, they might not truly be tested until their trip to Notre Dame on Nov. 7, especially when you consider that four of their next five games are at home."
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