Just two months ago, they were a national championship contender. Now, they're not even in the top 60.
The unthinkable collapse of the Clemson Tigers hit a new, stunning low this week. In the latest USA TODAY Sports re-rank of all 136 FBS teams, Dabo Swinney's program sits at No. 62 overall—a shocking indictment of what has become arguably the most disappointing season in all of college football.
The freefall from a No. 4 preseason AP ranking to full-blown mediocrity has been swift and brutal. As the 3-4 Tigers limp into their second bye week, the program is a shell of the powerhouse it was projected to be.
What Went Wrong? Everything.
The blame for this disaster is widespread, touching every phase of the game and every star player who was supposed to lead this team to glory.
On offense, senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, once a trendy Heisman pick and a projected top NFL Draft pick, has cratered. Before getting injured in Week 7, Klubnik's regression was stark, as he struggled with efficiency and turnovers. While backup Christopher Vizzina showed flashes in the latest loss to SMU, it wasn't enough to stop the bleeding.
The defense, touted as one of the nation's most talented, has been a massive underperformer. Projected first-round picks T.J. Parker (2 sacks) and Peter Woods (1 sack) have been neutralized, unable to generate the game-wrecking pressure that was supposed to be Clemson's calling card. The result? A defense that ranks just 42nd in the country and has become a liability rather than a strength.
The New ACC Landscape
The new rankings put Clemson's fall into even sharper focus. The Tigers now sit as the 11th-best team in their own conference, behind surprise contenders like No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 8 Miami, who have surged into the top 10 nationally while Clemson has plummeted.
For a program that owned the ACC for the better part of a decade, their new status as a middle-of-the-pack team is a harsh reality check. The Tigers return to action on November 1 against Duke, a team now ranked 18 spots ahead of them, in a game that will further define just how far this once-great program has fallen.