Clemson Fifth in AP Preseason Poll

Clemson, S.C.—Clemson is fifth in the preseason college football poll released by the Associated Press on Monday. The Tigers were also fifth in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll released earlier this month.

Clemson did not receive a first-place vote in the AP poll, but did have seven first place votes from the coaches.

Alabama was ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press voters and receive 52 of the 61 first place votes. Ohio State is ranked second and Florida State is third. Clemson defeated all three of those teams last year.

Southern California is fourth, followed by the Tigers in fifth, Penn State is sixth, Oklahoma is seventh, Washington is eighth, Wisconsin is ninth and Oklahoma State is 10th.

Clemson faces four of the preseason top 25, including Auburn (#12), Louisville (#16) and Virginia Tech (#21) in the first month of the season. The Tigers play Louisville and Virginia Tech on the road. Florida State comes to Clemson on November 11. The ACC has five teams in the top 25.

This marks the sixth consecutive year Clemson has been ranked in the preseason top 25. This No. 5 ranking is the fourth highest preseason AP ranking in school history. The program was ranked second by AP and the Amway Coaches last year. Clemson was No. 4 in the AP preseason poll for 1984 and 1988. Clemson was 11th by AP and ninth by the coaches in the preseason 1982 poll, the last time the Tigers were coming off a National Championship.

Clemson has finished with at least the same final ranking as its preseason ranking in the AP poll six consecutive years. Head Coach Dabo Swinney is the only coach in college football history to accomplish that feat. John Cooper of Ohio State and Bill Snyder of Kansas State did it five consecutive years.

2017 Associated Press Preseason Top 25

Alabama, 2. Ohio State, 3. Florida State, 4. Southern California, 5. Clemson, 6. Penn State, 7. Oklahoma, 8. Washington, 9. Wisconsin, 10, Oklahoma State, 11. Michigan, 12. Auburn, 13. LSU, 14. Stanford, 15. Georgia, 6. Louisville, 17. Florida, 18. Miami, 19. USF, 20. Kansas State, 21. Virginia Tech, 22. West Virginia, 23. Texas, 24. Washington State, 25. Tennessee.