Clemson football could continue history with preseason AP Poll ranking

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the Miami Hurricanes 38-3 in the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers celebrates after defeating the Miami Hurricanes 38-3 in the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The 2018 Clemson football team has a chance to continue history with the release of the preseason AP Poll being announced Monday.

The 2018 Clemson football team is one of the most talented in school history.

The Tigers come into the season with National Championship expectations as one of the top teams in the land.

While it takes a lot of things falling into place to win a National Title, this team certainly has the talent, skills and leadership to make it happen.

The preseason AP Poll was released Monday afternoon and the Tigers came in as the No. 2 ranked team in the nation. Here’s a look at the top-10 for the AP Poll.

  1. Alabama
  2. Clemson
  3. Georgia
  4. Wisconsin
  5. Ohio State
  6. Washington
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Miami
  9. Auburn
  10. Penn State

With the No. 2 ranking, Clemson football has a chance to continue history. The No. 2 ranking equals the highest preseason ranking ever for a Tiger team, according to ClemsonTigers.com. The last time that happened was back in 2016 and we all know how that season turned out.

But, back to the history: For the last seven season, Clemson has either matched or exceeded its preseason AP Poll ranking. That means if the Tigers started out No. 2, they either finished No. 2 or No. 1.  That seven-year streak by Dabo Swinney is the longest by a coach in College Football history.

Now, the Tigers will have a chance to continue history. In order to do so, though, we will need to see Clemson in the National Championship game, most likely. A National Championship win would allow the Tigers to exceed the ranking, but at the very least they could match it with a berth in the title game.

It will be interesting to see what happens this season, but I certainly believe Clemson has what it takes to continue this streak and, as a result, make history.

Schedule

Schedule