We’ve been tracking team resumes for the past two weeks to keep in mind who is playing a decent schedule and who is just feasting on lesser competition. It isn’t a perfect way to grade the resumes, but it gives us a decent idea where Clemson Football fits in with their peers.
Last week, Clemson had the best resume score in the nation, powered by a road victory over a Top 25 opponent. The Tigers remain at the top this week following their Top 25 home win against NC State, but their lead has narrowed, as other squads are also scoring points for road victories.
This is how the resumes for this week’s AP Top 5 look:
#1 Alabama – Resume score: 19
Alabama leaps Georgia to claim the top spot in the AP Top 25 this week, but not everything was great for the Tide this weekend. Starting quarterback Bryce Young sprained his shoulder and is day to day. They did get the road win against Arkansas. If the Razorbacks had not fallen out of the T25, Bama would have the best resume in the nation. Instead, they’re tied for 3rd.
#2 Georgia – Resume score: 20
Georgia slipped to the 2nd spot because they needed a late comeback against Missouri, which is not regarded as a good team. It was an eyesore for eye test trackers, but for a resume, it was a road victory against a Power Five opponent, their second of the season. Add the early win over Oregon, and Georgia still has the second-best resume in the country.
#3 Ohio State – Resume score: 13
Ohio State might look very good for the eye test, but there is a simple reason their resume score is this low: they have yet to leave Columbus for a football game. In fact, they only leave their home stadium four times this year. This probably won’t matter if the Buckeyes run the table, but if the CFP committee must split hairs between teams at the end of the season, their schedule could be a liability. As it stands right now, there are only two ranked teams on their slate. The Big Ten championship could add a third, but no one in the Western division has distinguished themselves yet. Resume could be a problem for the Buckeyes in the long run.
#4 Michigan – Resume score: 15
Michigan overtakes Ohio State on resume score because they decided to be more adventurous and travel to Iowa City for a game with the Hawkeyes, which they won. Eventually, however, the Wolverines will be in the same situation as the Buckeyes: they only play four road games all season, with only two ranked opponents. Like Ohio State, this isn’t likely to keep Michigan out of the playoffs if they are undefeated, but it could hurt them if they are being compared to teams that have better strength of schedules.
#5 Clemson – Resume score: 20.25
The Tigers have a slim lead over the Bulldogs for one main reason: I didn’t just count their opening season wins as neutral site victories. Clemson beat Georgia Tech in the Mercedes-Benz Dome, but that is in Georgia Tech’s backyard, so not a true neutral site. I gave that win slightly more points than a true neutral site game. Conversely, Georgia beat Oregon in the Mercedes-Benz Dome also, which is a short trek from Athens and a very long trek from Eugene, so I counted that closer to a home win than a neutral win. If I had not made those two adjustments, Georgia would have the lead on resume. With those adjustments – which are fair – Clemson is still slightly ahead.