National Media Sees Clemson's Coaches' Poll Ranking As Generous. Here's Why

The Clemson Tigers have consistently been ranked in the top 25 team as long as Dabo Swinney has been the head coach. So, why are they being disrespected following their 7-6 season?

Clemson football will look to flip the script in a significant 2026 season with plenty of top opponents. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nearly a year ago to this date, Clemson was the No. 4 team in the AP Top 25 heading into a home matchup with LSU to kick off the 2025 season. 

In the following year, the Tigers being ranked, period, has people up in arms. 

Clemson was ranked in the top 25 of the coaches' poll, which saw it fall to No. 23 entering the season. While some were concerned about the other teams at the top, including those who showed disrespect toward Indiana, the reigning champion, some took their criticism to Clemson following its 7-6 season. 

It’s the Tigers’ lowest ranking in this opening coach, which is voted by FBS coaches, since 2011, entering the third full season for head coach Dabo Swinney. However, a few even thought that Clemson shouldn’t have even been in it at all. 

One of them was CBS Sports college football analyst Tom Fornelli. 

Clemson, huh? pic.twitter.com/7omsvWiKfz

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) August 4, 2026

The Tigers lost a lot, but it’s important to note that they returned a lot as well. While the quarterback is the glaring omission from last year to this year, Clemson returned almost all of its top skill position players, or even getting younger players who are expected to shine. 

On defense, it’s another year in a system for defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who’s had success before that helped take his former team, Penn State, to the College Football Playoff in 2024. He added nearly a double-digit amount of transfers on that side of the ball to fill those roles. 

Yet, what the general person will look at is record, and what a team failed at last season. For Clemson, it was meeting expectations, winning close games and being unable to answer the call when playing some of the most important opponents on the schedule. 

The narrative around Clemson is hilarious.

“Really coaches? You think a program that has finished ranked in 14 of the last 15 seasons, won the ACC and went to the CFP two years ago, and had one bad year when their best WR missed 7 games could be the 23rd-best team?”

How daring. https://t.co/dkRONiApZt

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) August 5, 2026

One of the unfortunate conclusions of this concept is that is how Clemson will be treated until it flips the script. The Tigers have been roped with Penn State as two programs who were heavily unable to meet expectations in 2025, going from top four in the AP Poll at the beginning of the season to playing each other in snowy conditions out in New York City during the Pinstripe Bowl. 

Could Texas be setting up to be this year's Penn State or Clemson or are the Longhorns too talented? pic.twitter.com/NrUSRhew6y

— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) August 5, 2026

So, Swinney has the opportunity to change that next season. There are opponents on the roster, in fact, multiple, where Clemson can flip the script and put itself back with the top of college football’s best. The Tigers can do it and catch LSU off guard, or even Miami at home; there wouldn’t be that type of stigma moving forward. 

Unfortunately, that will be the case. As they say, “innocent until proven guilty” will show how the Tigers will be looked at by a national eye until that statement win.