Clemson debuted at No. 22 in Pro Football Network’s (PFN) latest Top 25 Power Rankings, standing as one of five Atlantic Coast Conference programs featured in the national outlook.
Analyzing head coach Dabo Swinney’s squad entering the 2026 season, PFN analyst Oliver Hodgkinson pointed to a blend of portal additions, offensive playmakers, and defensive talent as reasons for optimism despite offseason uncertainty under center.
“Swinney remains, and they were even a little more adventurous in the transfer portal than we’ve seen before,” Hodgkinson wrote. “There is some uncertainty at the quarterback position, and the loss of talent to the NFL clouds the ceiling of this team, but never discount a motivated Clemson team — especially one with two game-changing wide receivers and a slew of defensive playmakers.”
ACC Standing and Conference Depth
Miami led all ACC representatives in the PFN rankings at No. 6 overall coming off a national championship appearance. PFN noted that head coach Mario Cristobal retooled the Hurricanes’ roster behind quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney.
Clemson headlined a group of four ACC programs clustered in the lower portion of the Top 25:
- No. 6 Miami Hurricanes
- No. 22 Clemson Tigers
- No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers
- No. 24 Louisville Cardinals
- No. 25 SMU Mustangs
Virginia earned its No. 23 spot behind quarterback Beau Pribula and linebacker Kam Robinson, while Louisville landed at No. 24 as head coach Jeff Brohm integrates former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz alongside a top-15 national defense. SMU rounded out the conference cohort at No. 25, led by dual-threat quarterback Kevin Jennings and All-American right tackle PJ Williams.
Across the national landscape, PFN’s overall top five consisted of Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Indiana, Notre Dame, and Georgia.
Opening Test Against LSU
Clemson opens its regular season on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. EDT (ABC) against LSU in Baton Rouge.
LSU landed at No. 11 in PFN’s rankings as head coach Lane Kiffin makes his debut on the bayou following an active transfer portal cycle that brought in transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt.
