Where Clemson ranks in first College Football Playoff poll: See full list
CLEMSON — Clemson football debuted at No. 23 in the first College Football Playoff poll, released on Tuesday night.
The Tigers (6-2, 5-1 ACC) have a slim path to the 12-team playoff. All of their wins are against average or weaker teams, and they have suffered losses to No. 3 Georgia and No. 22 Louisville. According to ESPN's FPI, they have a 2.4% chance to win the conference and a 7.3% chance to make the playoffs.
Clemson has four games remaining in the regular season, including Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) against Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2) at Lane Stadium. Then, the Tigers have a key road game at No. 18 Pittsburgh (7-1, 3-1) on Nov. 16 (noon ET, ESPN), which could improve their playoff ranking. They also need No. 4 Miami or No. 13 SMU to slip up in the coming weeks for a chance to make the ACC championship.
The CFP selection committee ranked the Top 25 teams for the new 12-team playoff format. The rankings will be updated each Tuesday for the next month, and the final CFP field will be announced on Dec. 8.
There are five guaranteed spots (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC champions, plus highest-ranked non Power 4 conference champion). And then seven teams get at-large bids, based on their ranking in the CFP poll.
Clemson is ranked No. 17 the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the AP Top 25 after a 33-21 home loss to Louisville in Week 10.
College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out
No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten champion), No. 2 Georgia (SEC), No. 3 Miami (ACC) and No. 4 BYU (Big 12) earned first-round byes in the initial rankings.
No. 1 Oregon would face the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 8 Tennessee and No. 9 Indiana in the next stage.
No. 4 BYU would face the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 5 Ohio State and No. 12 Boise State in the next stage.
No. 2 Georgia would face the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 7 Penn State and No. 10 Notre Dame in the next stage.
No. 3 Miami would face the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 6 Texas and No. 11 Alabama in the next stage.
Latest CFP rankings
Oregon
Ohio State
Georgia
Miami
Texas
Penn State
Tennessee
Indiana
BYU
Notre Dame
Alabama
Boise State
SMU
Texas A&M
LSU
Ole Miss
Iowa State
Pittsburgh
Kansas State
Colorado
Washington State
Louisville
Clemson
Missouri
Army West Point
MORE: Clemson football's Saturday nightmare vs Louisville may lead to darker news Tuesday
Clemson’s projected CFP opponent
Clemson does not have a projected College Football Playoff opponent. It will face an opponent in a bowl game based on Tuesday's projection.
How many teams in College Football Playoff 2024?
This is the first year of the 12-team format for the CFP, with four first-round and four quarterfinal games added to the CFP slate.
The top four ranked conference champions will get a first-round bye, while those seeded Nos. 5-8 will host first-round games in December. The seeds will be laid out via the final CFP rankings when they are revealed on Dec. 8.
When next College Football Playoff rankings come out
The CFP rankings will be revealed weekly each Tuesday until the final rankings come out on Sunday, Dec. 8.
The next rankings reveal is Nov. 12 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson in CFP rankings: First bracket, playoff picture, what to know
