Clemson isn’t ranked yet — but the Tigers are starting to show up on the sport’s radar in a way that matters.
After a 3-game grind the week before, Clemson used Thanksgiving week to steady itself, stack another win, and quietly build a résumé that’s earning respect from coaches. Brad Brownell’s team is 7–1, and while it remains outside the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Top 25, it more than doubled its vote total — from four votes to nine — entering Week 5.
That’s not a trophy. It’s traction.
A Charleston Classic jolt, then a Littlejohn cruise
Clemson’s week pivoted on two very different wins: one that stretched into overtime, one that barely felt like a sweat.
The Tigers closed out the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic with a 97–94 overtime win over Georgia, then returned home and throttled Alabama A&M 92–56 at Littlejohn. Clemson led 52–22 at halftime and pushed the margin as high as 38 late, pairing efficiency with separation.
Jestin Porter led the way with 14 points, Carter Welling added 12, and RJ Godfrey chipped in 10 in the blowout.
The numbers that explain the momentum
Beyond wins, Clemson is making its case with the kind of details pollsters notice in November: clean offense and no slip-ups against the teams you’re supposed to handle.
Against Alabama A&M, Clemson shot 55% from the field and hit eight 3-pointers, the kind of performance that reads like a comfortable Tuesday in February.
Add in nonconference wins over Georgia and West Virginia, plus taking care of business at home, and Clemson is starting to look like a team that’s solved the early-season problem every “almost ranked” group faces: consistency.
ACC context: ranked neighbors, open space
The ACC has weight near the top — Duke at No. 4, Louisville at No. 6, and North Carolina at No. 17 — but there’s also room for movement.
NC State dropped out of the Top 25, and the league’s middle remains fluid. That matters for Clemson, because the Tigers don’t have to be perfect to climb — they just have to keep stacking wins and land a couple of loud ones.
The litmus test arrives: Alabama, then BYU at MSG
Clemson’s “receiving votes” status won’t stay a trivia note for long, because the next two games are built to clarify who the Tigers are.
First comes the ACC/SEC Challenge: Clemson travels to Tuscaloosa to face No. 12 Alabama on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Then Clemson heads to Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic to face BYU on Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Two ranked-caliber stages. Two chances to turn “gaining steam” into a number next to Clemson’s name.