Clemson Football: Why being ranked No. 1 in the Coaches’ Poll matters
The 2019 Clemson football team was the overwhelming No. 1 ranked team in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll. Here’s why it matters.
In this day and age of College Football, polls just don’t matter.
No one cares as much about the AP or Coaches’ Poll as they did in the past. No one cares about what metrics like the FPI says because there’s only one ranking that matters and that won’t come out until the beginning of November: The College Football Playoff rankings.
Even so, it was noteworthy news Thursday when Clemson football came out as the No. 1 ranked team in America according to the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. It was the first time in Clemson football program history that the Tigers were ranked No. 1 in the Coaches’ preseason poll.
While the Coaches’ Poll doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, there was an interesting little tidbit in the rankings. The Tigers didn’t just get voted No. 1, they were the overwhelming vote to be the No. 1 team in the nation.
In a voter room that is strictly made up of coaches, Clemson football received 59 of the 65 first-place votes.
That means, despite the narratives of certain media members, coaches across America absolutely respect the Tigers and know that the 44-16 final in Santa Clara was no fluke.
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The Tigers may not be seen as an overwhelming No. 1 team in the eyes of media members or fans, but coaches know better. Clemson football is certainly getting the respect it deserves from coaches across the country, which also tells us that the Tigers will be getting the best shot of the teams they play in 2019.
In the end, this poll is nothing more than a small sliver of information to hold fans over to the start of College Football season, but it’s definitely an interesting tidbit of news to see that the Tigers are the clear-cut No. 1 team in the nation according to the coaches.