Clemson Tigers Rank Remains Unchanged in Recently Updated AP Poll

The Clemson Tigers remained ranked 17th after a win in Week 12

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers were able to escape with a win in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Panthers, wrapping up their season of games in the ACC. 

It was a hard-fought win for the Tigers against the Panthers, as despite having a 10-point lead at halftime against a backup quarterback, the team needed some clutch plays late to come back and get the win. 

Quarterback Cade Klubnik was able to rip off a 50-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to help regain the lead for Clemson. It capped off a really impressive game for the junior quarterback, as he had one of his better overall games of the season for the Tigers. 

The most recent AP Top 25 was released, and the Tigers held steady at 17th in the country. Like in the standings in the ACC, Clemson finds themselves behind both the Miami Hurricanes, who were ranked 11th, and the SMU Mustangs, who were ranked 13th. 

With just a couple of weeks left in the season, the Tigers don’t control their own destiny in the ACC, as they don’t have the tiebreaker against the Mustangs or the Hurricanes because of their loss to the Louisville Cardinals. 

To end the season, Clemson will be playing The Citadel and the South Carolina Gamecocks to end the season. The Gamecocks are close to the Tigers in the Top 25, as they are currently ranked 19th. 

That will be a fun matchup and a win that could certainly have some impact on the rankings at the end of the season if both teams face each other as Top-20 teams in the nation. 

While that game will be meaningful, likely the only way for Clemson to make the college football playoff will be to win the ACC, which is currently unlikely based on their positioning.