Clemson Tigers Fall Out of Coaches Poll After 1-2 Start

Previously ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll and No. 11 in last week’s edition, the Tigers were one of four teams to completely drop out of the Coaches Poll, joining South Florida, Arizona State, and BYU.

The Tigers have simply not lived up to the expectations of most entering the season. Many imagined Clemson would be a legitimate College Football Playoff contender and a highly talented squad that had a true shot at winning a national championship. Some even claimed this could be Dabo Swinney’s best team he’s ever had at Clemson, considering the plethora of elite future NFL players scattered all across the field.

However, starting 1-2 with losses to LSU and Georgia Tech, and surviving a scare last weekend against Troy, the Tigers are struggling heavily – especially on the offensive side of the football. 

Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, hasn’t played to what fans expected of him. Although the Tigers’ top wide receiver, Antonio Williams, and a couple of offensive linemen are injured, it’s no secret that Klubnik has performed extremely underwhelmingly thus far.

With No. 4 Miami and No. 7 Florida State sitting in the top-10, and No. 18 Georgia Tech surging up the poll, the Tigers are now forced to work uphill in the race for the ACC title. Clemson is still set to face the Seminoles and South Carolina in November, which will be its toughest remaining tests, but the Tigers cannot afford to take another loss if they want to crack the College Football Playoff.

It’s not impossible, but Swinney and company need to fix their woes quickly in order to retain any hope for a postseason run. If they can flip the script and get back on track in the next few weeks with winnable games against Syracuse, North Carolina, and Boston College, the Tigers could potentially climb their way back up – but there’s virtually little-to-no room for error.