Clemson Rebuked in Preseason Associated Press Poll

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spent the offseason defending his record of success with the program and arguing that he made changes that will allow the Tigers to be more successful in 2026. 

It doesn't seem the voters in the Associated Press are buying what Swinney's selling.

Clemson was ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP poll last season before dropping out of the rankings by Week 4. With a 7-6 record, the Tigers finished the season unranked for the first time since 2010.

On Monday, the AP released its preseason poll, with the Tigers not being one of the Top 25 programs in the country. Clemson is leading in the "others receiving votes" category with 112 votes.

The coaches poll was much more generous to the Tigers, ranking them No. 23 before the season. Not everyone was a fan of that poll, with college football analyst Josh Pate arguing Clemson shouldn't be ranked inside the top 30.

"There is no basis for the most hardcore of Clemson fanatics on this planet to rank that team in the preseason... It is very much a quarterback battle right now," Pate said of Tait Reynolds and Christopher Vizzina. "Jesse, is this a typo at 23? Because I see the Clemson Tigerpaw, and certainly that can't be reality.

"Certainly, you meant to put something else. Certainly, this is just a graphical oversight. No, they're telling me that the coaches ranked Clemson 23rd... Dabo himself had to have looked at this when it came out and said, Who's really 23rd, though? They're like, 'No, sir, we're ranked.'”

The Tigers will get an immediate reality check in Week 1 when they travel to play No. 11 LSU. That should tell us what to expect from Clemson after Swinney added some help for the defense in the portal but decided to go with Tait Reynolds or Christopher Vizzina at quarterback with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris.

Clemson's schedule is favorable. Outside of LSU and No. 7 Miami, the Tigers don't play another ranked team. That schedule could help the Tigers remain in the CFP race if they don't blow games against worse ACC competition like they have in recent years.