Clemson Football: Tigers plummet in AP Poll

Predictably Clemson football fell in the AP Poll released on Sunday after a home loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Tigers fell three spots to number 10 and are now the lowest-ranked Power 5 two-loss team, with Alabama, Tennessee, Penn State and Washington all ranked ahead of Clemson.

Georgia remained number 1 with a 37-14 win over Georgia Tech, with Michigan getting 5 first place votes coming in second, followed by TCU and USC and the Buckeyes rounding out the top 5.

The second five are Alabama, Tennessee, Penn State, Washington and Clemson.

No. 11 through 20 are LSU, Utah, Kansas State, Florida State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Tulane, Notre Dame and South Carolina.

The final five are Texas, UCF, UTSA, North Carolina and Mississippi State.

This means Clemson is now 1-2 against current Top 25 teams, beating Florida State, while losing to Notre Dame and South Carolina.

Of course, the Tigers have a chance to even up that record Saturday against North Carolina, but beating the Tar Heels likely means they drop from the rankings.

In some ways, Clemson was lucky to only drop three spots as LSU and Oregon both lost as favorites, with Oregon blowing a large second half lead against Oregon State.

Clemson football still has a lot to play for

In the bigger picture Clemson’s playoff chances are done, but there are still two things to play for, the first being an ACC Championship next weekend in Charlotte against North Carolina and a top 10 finish with two more victories.

All things considered, a 12-2 season and an ACC title would not be a bad ending to a tumultuous season for the Tigers.

Ohio State looks well positioned to make the playoff if TCU falters in the Big 12 Championship Game next week, depending on how the College Football Playoff Committee ranks the teams on Tuesday.

I’ve heard different theories on how they will react to the Michigan-Ohio State result, but as of today, we could be looking at Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Southern Cal in the playoff, if everyone holds serve.

That said, if yesterday showed us anything, every week is a crap shoot in college football.