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2018 Preseason Clemson Tigers Rankings

Main Poll Voters

User	Rank	Reason
BallSoHerd	1
BobDeLaSponge	1	Returning a D-line that's basically a thresher maw. Has questions at QB, but not enough to shake them from the top spot.
brobroma	1
bwburke94	1	Clemson over Alabama is probably the single most questionable part of my ranking, and I'm fully aware of that. Clemson goes at #1 because they have much more of last year's team returning this year.
Cassiyus	1
deadtofall12	1
Helifino	1
I_am_bot_beep_boop	1
kdcoltred	1
Knightro2011	1
lebaronslebaron	1
Miami_da_U	1	Filthy Dline, which imo is the most important position group on a team (with OL being 2nd). Great talent at QB. Think they are angry after how last season ended, and that trash loss to Syracuse. Many guys that could have left early stayed. They have a lot of talent and a lot of experience that chose not to go the NFL so that they could win another National Championship.. This is more like 1a with bama at 1b though. Clemson has a solid schedule. @ Texas A&M and @ FSU. Then South Carolina to finish off the season.
mjacksongt	1	Clemson has more returning talent than the other team in the top 2 of CFB, Alabama (particularly on defense). That's enough for me to move them to #1.
moistats_	1
ndhuskerpower	1
nemoran	1
puffadda	1
ryker888	1
studio_sally	1
TDenverFan	1
ThaCarter	1
ucieaters33	1
UNC_Samurai	1
uwbjb	1
wesman212	1
03040905	2
3RDnKING	2
admiraltarkin	2
alextoyalex	2
alsonamedbort87	2
bakonydraco	2
BamaPride95	2
bgr308	2	Nasty D-Line and will have an improved offense
Blooblod	2	You're probably tired of hearing about whether or not Trevor Lawrence will take Kelly Bryant's job, so let's talk about the d-line instead. Oh, you're tired of hearing about them too? Okay, well the rest of the defense will still be good. Kendall Joseph is a stud LB moving to the Mike role. In the secondary, I'm looking for a big jump this year from corners Trayvon Mullen and Mark Fields (the latter of whom still hasn't locked down a starting spot however). My Tigers record prediction: 11-1. Like Alabama, I think Clemson slips up and loses a game that they shouldn't. My personal prediction is that they lose at Wake Forest to the Clawffense--but a loss to Boston College in Chestnut Hill wouldn't shock me either.
BosskOnASegway	2
boxman151515	2	Dabo Swinney has built a powerhouse at Clemson, and this year should look a lot like the last few. Expect the Tigers, led by a terrifying defense, to win the ACC and make a run at another national title.
Branzilla91	2
buttforaface	2
CambodianDrywall	2
CertifiedSheep	2
CFSparta92	2
ChickenTaco	2
chrisb19	2	Clemson continues to recruit well under Sweeney and their new QB could bring them up to a new level of play on offense. On defense, Venables continues to put up stout defensive units. Aside from a week 2 trip to the new-look Aggies, their schedule is heavily backloaded which could be a blessing in terms of integrating Lawrence) or a curse (a lot of tough games in a row to wear them down). They still feel like odds-on favorites to win the ACC and have a shot at the playoff.
CockADoodleBOOM	2
conchobor	2
coreyfra	2
corundum9	2
dan4223	2
DarkLegend64	2
DeceptiveSpeed	2
dicky_________seamus	2
djmoody90	2
djowen68	2	Dabo, D-line
Dropbackandpunt	2
Extra_Excrement	2	Dabo is another great coach and Venables is doing an incredible job for the Tigers. With a stellar defensive line returning top players and some exciting competition for QB, I wouldn't be surprised if Clemson v. Bama Act IV happens this season.
Feral_Squirrel	2
Fifth_Down	2
Fmeson	2
galacticdude7	2
GenialGiant	2	Despite falling short last season, the Tigers still find themselves ranked near the top as we approach the 2018 season.
Ghost_of_Dude	2
GilBrandt	2
goblue10	2	double up ugh ugh
GoBlueScrewOSU7	2
Greflingorax	2
Hackasizlak	2
hascogrande	2
Hobbes_121	2
hokies220	2	ThEiR EnTiRe D-LiNe CoUlD WrEcK ThE NfL
icklebush	2
JCiLee	2
JeromesNiece	2	Dabo is building a Bama-like Death Star at Clemson, and they have a relatively easy path to the playoff this year. That D-Line will be absurd.
jnoobs13	2
joebob431	2
Johnnycockseed	2
JonesUCF34	2
kelling928	2
KingKliffsbury	2
Mario_Speedwagon	2
mellolizard	2
monkeymatt1836	2
Nathanael-Greene	2
noahthearc	2
olmsted	2
Papalew32	2
plannedsickdays	2
Plneapple	2
Rakarei	2
ReallyCreative	2
relax_on_the_mat	2
retnuh101	2
RiffRamBahZoo	2
ScarletFever333	2
scronko	2
SCRx	2	Why didn't their D-Line leave? 
SCsprinter13	2
seaotter2	2
sirgippy	2
SometimesY	2
SSJRoshi	2
stripes361	2	Clemson is the #1 team in my composite but QB is a large part of my evaluation for teams and I'm just not crazy about the Tigers' situation yet. Composite: 51.2
tallg8tor	2
TanzaniaMagic	2
TaylorLeprechaun	2
tdeff19	2
teddythe3rd	2
Texasagsman	2
The-Gothic-Castle	2
TheJeemTeam	2
TheReformedBadger	2
TheTeamCubed	2
TheZachster	2
tmart12	2
ToLongDR	2
TotalEconomist	2
vanburen1845	2
WarEagle9	2
was_saying_boo_urns	2
WeenisWrinkle	2
woakley	2	They return a majority of the team that has had such success over the past couple of years. Lost to Alabama in the semi's but they should have a very talented defense and they return most of their offensive weapons
ya111101	2
52hoova	3	Best defensive line in the country. Been one of the best teams in the country the past three years. 
A-Stu-Ute	3
AaronRodgers16	3
Bill3ffinMurray	3
BlueFalcon89	3
BorisNumber1	3
cajunaggie08	3
captain_sasquatch	3
cfbguy	3
cmdrcaboose2	3
dabul-master	3
Daigotsu	3
FellKnight	3
flipadelphia17	3
G-Aardvark	3
G-manP	3
g_mo821	3
GeneralGBO	3
halldaylong	3
Hey_Its_Roomie	3
jmac_21	3	Clemson is going to win the ACC this year handily I think, but I'm not sure if I think they're better than Georgia. 
nickknx865	3	2069
Our-Gardian-Angel	3
PHubbs	3	The Clemson D-line is the best unit in CFB this year by a wide margin. They fall to 3rd in my poll, though, because they seem to lack consistent production from every single unit on the other side of the ball. Being able to fall back on that D-line definitely helps an offense be conservative, but Kelly Bryant had 9 games throwing under 210 yards which killed them when they finally faced another elite team in the playoff. They should go undefeated all the way to the ACC title game since their hardest game is against a team coming off a 7-6 season with a complete coaching turnover. I will be shocked if they don't make the playoff, but they need more on offense to perform once they get there.
polydorr	3
RatherBeYachting	3
Red261	3
RegulatorRWF	3
RobertNeyland	3
sasmith2015	3
ShogunAshoka	3
T-nawtical	3
T-Thugs	3	Heavy favorites to win the ACC again. In a good position for a playoff run.
THECrew42	3
thegreendalegelf	3
TriStarBear	3
typicaliconoclast	3
VerySeriousBanana	3
W_Is_For_Will	3	Lost to winner of National Championship
xelphin	3	Clemson's Defense is going to be stupidly good again this year. Their Offense doesn't have that much to prove, but if their 24-6 beatdown by Bama in the playoffs last season taught us anything, it's that their offense couldn't capitalize at the highest level. 
Xtremeloco	3
AllHawkeyesGoToHell	4
Brostradamus_	4
BrutonGaster77	4
Charlemagne42	4	After their playoff embarrassment, they need to prove themselves first. That will be tricky given their relatively weak schedule.
confirmd_am_engineer	4
doormatt26	4
e8odie	4
eclectic_tastes	4
HarbingerOfFun	4
Harmbert_	4
HUSKEROYAL	4	Clemson looked outstanding most of last season before falling flat against Alabama in the CFP. Whether they start Bryant or that top freshman they brought in, their offense should be solid. Their real strength might be the defense, however, with a daunting front seven. With FSU under a new head coach, I like Clemson's chances of winning the ACC and reaching the CFP for a fourth straight season.
itsabearcannon	4
justsaynotoreddit	4	0.959
Pikachu1989	4
PureCFR	4
BlueSCar	5
DanNeverDie	5
DEP61	5
HelioOne	5
JaxofAllTrades13	5
MonkeyPunch	5	12-2
runujhkj	5
taloncarde	5
Alwaysahawk	6
Wurst_Law	6
mickeyquicknumbers	7	Clemson was about the 6thish best team last year; with some serious flaws and some amazing individual units balancing out to make for a great team. I expect them to be almost identical in quality to 2017, so I I keep them here at 7. The defense was one of the best in the nation outright (S&P+ 2nd), and returns a true god-level defensive line. They'll miss a few good pieces in the back 7; but adequate replacements for O'Daniel, Van Smith, and Ryan Carter are all they need to maintain uber-elite defensive status, especially with Venables at the the helm. Offensively, I'm not sure Clemson was even top-25 last year. Kelly Bryant had problems as a passer, and I'm not sure Lawrence will be the answer until 2019. The run game was more reliable - but neither stood up particularly well against the singular elite defense they played last year. The good news for them is that I don't think they play an elite defense at all in the regular season, and so they should be primed for another playoff run via crushing their opponent's offense one at a time.
mynameisjona	9

Provisional Poll Voters

User	Rank	Reason

Blue = Human
Red = Computer
Green = Hybrid

Bold = before the AP poll was published
Normal = after the AP poll was published

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