ESPN recently published a ranking of all 36 teams that have made the College Football Playoff (subscription required).

ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly, who authored the article, based the rankings on his SP+ ratings and other numbers, as well as his personal opinions.

Clemson’s 2018 national title team, which became the first major college football team in the modern era (and the first since Penn in 1897) to finish a season with a 15-0 record, comes in at No. 3 on ESPN’s list behind 2020 Alabama (13-0) at No. 1 and the 2019 LSU team (15-0) that beat Clemson in the national title game.

“Clemson barely survived September unbeaten, needing a 2-point-conversion stop to escape Texas A&M and a rousing comeback led by backup quarterback Chase Brice to beat Syracuse,” Connelly wrote of the 2018 Clemson team. “But once Trevor Lawrence was healthy and established in the starting lineup, no one had any hope against the Tigers. They beat Florida State by 49, Wake Forest by 60 and Louisville by 61, and they won two CFP games by a combined 74-19. Goodness.”

The other Clemson team to win a national championship in the CFP era, the 2016 squad that finished 14-1 and defeated Alabama 35-31 in the epic national title game battle, is ranked No. 7 by ESPN behind this year’s Georgia team (13-0) at No. 4, the 2021 Georgia team (14-1) at No. 5 and the 2017 Alabama team (13-1) at No. 6.

“Clemson nearly lost to Auburn, Troy and Lamar Jackson’s Louisville teams early and did lose to Pitt in mid-November,” Connelly wrote of Clemson’s 2016 group. “But as would become a Dabo Swinney custom, the Tigers turned into Angry Clemson after their loss, humiliating South Carolina, keeping Virginia Tech mostly at arm’s reach and shutting out Ohio State. Trailing Bama by 10 in the final, the Tigers played a nearly perfect fourth quarter, exhausting the Tide defense and scoring the title-winning touchdown with one second remaining.”

The 2018 Alabama team (14-1) at No. 8, 2014 Ohio State team (14-1) at No. 9 and 2015 Alabama team (14-1) round out the rest of the top 10 in ESPN’s ranking of every CFP team. The 2019 Ohio State (13-1) and 2019 Clemson (14-1) teams are ranked No. 12 and No. 11.

As for Clemson’s other CFP teams, the 2015 team (14-1) that lost to Alabama in the national title game is ranked No. 20, the 2020 team (10-2) that lost to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl is No. 22 and the 2017 team (12-2) that lost to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl is No. 25.

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

Dabo Swinney: “We need your assistance more than ever to provide meaningful NIL opportunities. Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives allow student-athletes to utilize their voice and platform to maximize their NIL opportunities and strengthen their impact in the community.”

Graham Neff:
“Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives need your support to help provide meaningful NIL opportunities for our student athletes. We are doing things the right way, the Clemson way with integrity as a non-negotiable and we fully support the mission of these groups.”

Join the Tiger Club or Lady Tiger Club to help these great student-athletes and help the Tigers compete at the highest level!