AI Shocker—PFF Simulations Snub Clemson Football, Tab Miami as ACC Favorite

CLEMSON, SC – Hold the phone, college football world. Just when seemingly every pundit and prognosticator had Clemson football penciled in as the overwhelming favorite to run away with the ACC and punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff, a respected analytical powerhouse is throwing a massive wrench into the narrative. Pro Football Focus (PFF), renowned for its data-driven insights, has unveiled its 2025 college football power rankings based on 10,000 season simulations, and the results are a stunning snub for the Tigers!

According to PFF's extensive simulations, Clemson is projected as the No. 13 team in the country heading into the season. But here's the real shocker for ACC fans: the simulations don't even have Dabo Swinney's squad winning their own conference. Instead, Miami is tabbed as the ACC champion, with nearly a 21 percent chance to hoist the trophy, while Clemson lags significantly behind with only a 12.8% chance!

This computer-generated outlook stands in stark contrast to the widespread consensus from human experts, many of whom have deemed it "shocking" to even imagine Clemson falling short of a playoff semifinal. PFF's simulations also give Clemson only about a 31 percent chance to make the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field and a meager less than three percent shot to win it all.

It's a fascinating clash between traditional punditry and cold, hard algorithmic data. While it's tough to "get mad at technology," the divergence is undeniable. Interestingly, other, less technology-based analysis from PFF itself does highly praise Clemson, ranking Cade Klubnik as the No. 1 quarterback in the nation and placing Tigers' units in the Top 10 at wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and defensive back.

Yet, when the simulations run, the outcome is different, suggesting that even with elite individual talent, the complex variables of a full season might not always align in Clemson's favor. As the 2025 campaign rapidly approaches, all eyes will be on the Tigers to see if they can defy the computer models and prove that the human experts—and their own soaring expectations—are indeed correct.