It may not seem like all that much, but the last thing Clemson needs is a highly-motivated Miami team coming to town in two weeks. While the Tigers need to get ready for their cross-country battle at Cal on Friday night, the Associated Press may have set Clemson up for failure by dropping the Canes two weeks before they play. Miami falling from No. 5 to No. 6 to prop up Ole Miss does not seem fair at all.
No, the Canes did not have the easiest time versus Wake Forest, but Jake Dickert's Demon Deacons can really play. While Ole Miss had to move up for beating LSU, the Canes have been one of the most consistently strong teams through the first three weeks of the year. They feel like a top-five team and should be viewed that way, even if the rankings say otherwise. They may not get a chance to move up.
This is because Miami will host Central Michigan out of the MAC on Saturday evening during Week 4. Unless Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, or Indiana stumble ahead of them, it is hard to see the Hurricanes cracking the top five ahead of their meeting with the Tigers. While Clemson can improve its standing by beating Cal on the road, Miami seems to be the victim of the polling's circumstances.
The chances of Miami overlooking Clemson have completely gone away
One of the reasons Clemson had been viewed as a team that could have Miami on upset alert in two weeks is because of the overlook factor. Clemson is an unassuming team that juggernaut Miami may try to breeze past. With it being at home for the Tigers, as well as the Hurricanes having a propensity for dropping dumb games under Mario Cristobal, it could have happened in Week 5, but not anymore.
This is because Miami is not being viewed as a vibrant part of the upper echelon of college football as it should be. The Hurricanes just played for a national title. While they have never won the ACC before, it would be stunning to see anyone else claim the ACC's automatic qualifier bid for this year's College Football Playoff than them. We are talking about a talented team that has been slighted just a little bit.
While Miami can cake walk to 4-0 with a home victory over Central Michigan, Clemson will not have that luxury going on the road to Cal. Yes, the Tigers will have an extra day to prepare for Miami, but it is not like the Canes will have to empty the chamber to get past the Chippewas. Clemson will need to do that to hold off a feisty Cal team. Clearly, Miami is preparing solely to get past Clemson in Week 5.
So even if the Associated Press did not think of the unintended consequences of its voting actions, it has put Clemson in a much more trying spot than we could have imagined. Not only does it have to give its all to potentially improve to 3-1 over Cal, but Miami will not have to flex a muscle to get to 4-0 over Central Michigan. If the Hurricanes stay intrinsically focused, they could get to 5-0 in two weeks.
Simply put, any chance of Clemson catching Miami by surprise has gone completely out the window.
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