Clemson Football now knows where the press believes they belong to start the 2023 season.
The Tigers are ranked 9th in the preseason AP Top 25. Clemson is ranked one spot below the Florida State Seminoles, who are expected to contend with the Tigers for the ACC Championship this season.
Georgia is No. 1 with sixty first-place votes. The Michigan Wolverines are second with two first-place votes, and the Ohio State Buckeyes are third with one first-place vote.
Alabama and LSU, who will contend for the SEC West division, round out the Top 5.
USC, Penn State, and Washington join Clemson and FSU in the next five teams.
Two more opponents for the 2023 season are ranked. Notre Dame is 13th, and North Carolina is 21st.
Three more opponents received votes. South Carolina received 73 votes, Duke received four votes and NC State received one vote.
The SEC leads all conferences with six teams ranked. The Big Ten has five ranked, as does the PAC-12. The Big 12 has four teams ranked and the ACC follows with three teams.
Clemson Football is behind Florida State in the AP Poll despite being selected by ACC press to win the conference
While Clemson was the pick of the press at ACC Kickoff to win the conference this season, the AP Top 25 matches the Coach’s Poll with FSU ranked one spot ahead of the Tigers.
Clemson will open the season on Labor Day Evening in Primetime on ABC at Duke and then host Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic before welcoming the Seminoles to Death Valley on September 23rd.
The Tigers then play at Syracuse in a classic trap game before playing Wake Forest at home. They then visit Miami and NC State before hosting Notre Dame.
Following a home game against rival Georgia Tech, the Tigers host the third team ranked in the preseason AP Poll, the Tar Heels. Clemson wraps up the regular season on the road at the Gamecocks.