Clemson Tigers Ride College Football Chaos To Highest AP Ranking of Season

The Clemson Tigers saw another big rise in their standing in the college football world with the release of the AP Top 25 on Sunday.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers linebacker Wade Woodaz (17) forces a fumble by Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Hykeem Williams (8) during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers had to figure they would move up a few spots after a chaotic weekend in which five of the nation’s Top 11 teams lost.

But the Tigers received a nice surprise on Sunday — a Top 10 ranking for the first time this season.

The Tigers (4-1, 3-0) were ranked No. 10 in Sunday’s AP Top 25, a five-spot move from last week.

It represents the fourth straight time the Tigers have moved up since dropping to No. 25 after their season-opening loss to Georgia.

After bottoming out at No. 25, the Tigers moved up to No. 22, No. 21, No. 17, and then No. 15 after their win over Stanford last week.

By beating Florida State, 29-13, Clemson atoned for its loss to Florida State last year, a game it controlled until the final minutes.

Miami (6-0, 2-0) remained the highest-ranked ACC team in the poll, moving up two spots to No. 6. The Hurricanes escaped with a 39-38 win over Cal, a game in which they trailed by as many as 25 points.

SMU, Pitt and Virginia are the only remaining undefeated teams in ACC play.

The Panthers (5-0, 1-0) moved into the poll at No. 22 after beating North Carolina on the road. The Mustangs (5-1, 2-0), in their first year in the league, moved into the poll at No. 25 with a win over Louisville.

Texas, which was idle, moved up to No. 1 as last week’s No. 1, Alabama, lost.

The Crimson Tide lost a stunner to Vanderbilt, 40-35, in Nashville. The Commodores defeated a No. 1 team for the first time ever and Vandy fans tore down a goal post and walked it nearly three miles through Nashville to dump them in the Cumberland River.

No. 4 Tennessee was upset by Arkansas, 19-14, as the Volunteers took their first loss of the season.

No. 9 Missouri lost its first game with an awful 41-10 road loss to No. 25 Texas A&M.

No. 10 Michigan fell, 27-17, to Washington, while No. 11 USC lost to Minnesota, 24-17.

No. 12 Ole Miss beat South Carolina in a dominant way, 27-3. The losses in front of the Rebels may pushed them to No. 9.

Clemson heads to Wake Forest to face the Demon Deacons at noon eastern on Saturday as they continue ACC action. Wake Forest beat NC State, 34-30, on Saturday.