Clemson was labeled “overrated” once again
Dabo Swinney and Clemson rank as the No.4 ranked team in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and it is safe to say that many people are unhappy with the committee’s choice.
The Tigers are undefeated at 8-0 (6-0 ACC), remaining one of the few undefeated teams remaining in the country though the team hasn’t been getting the respect some other undefeated teams have. While the committee believes Clemson, at this point, is a playoff team, a majority of the college football world thinks Swinney’s team is overrated and other undefeated teams such as No.5 Michigan and No.7 TCU, are more deserving of the final spot.
At this point, Clemson being overrated seems to be a yearly thing, though we know Dabo loves being an underdog. In CBS Sports College Football Playoff Rankings reactions, analyst Barrett Sallee highlighted Clemson among the group of overrated teams in the rankings.
Here’s what Sallee had to say about the Tigers:
Overrated: Clemson
It’s been hard to pin down the identity of the Tigers this season. One game, they look like world-beaters. The next, they look like pretenders. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has significantly improved from last year but is still nowhere near the superstar he was touted to be when he came out of high school. Matter of fact, the last time we saw the Tigers, Uiagalelei was benched in favor of heralded freshman Cade Klubnik.
They have wins over No. 20 Syracuse, No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 22 NC State, which is nice but not terribly noteworthy. The out-of-conference schedule so far has been Furman and Louisiana Tech, which doesn’t do much to bolster the Tigers’ case. Clemson got in the top four because of its history of success in the CFP era. In reality, it’s impossible to trust this team through the eight-game sample.
There are many reasons why people like to come after Clemson for being overrated yearly, and a lot of it has to do with the ACC and who they play weekly. The Tigers have three wins over teams ranked in the top 25, and the ACC was well-represented in the first batch of Playoff rankings, with five teams making an appearance.
Is there some merit to having Michigan over Clemson? Absolutely. Do I believe Clemson isn’t worthy of the No.4 ranking? Of course not.
This season, Swinney’s team isn’t close to a finished product, whether the Clemson haters around the country want to believe that. Swinney and the Tigers have a big opportunity to make a statement for themselves and the ACC this season.
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Twitter is not happy about Clemson's initial CFP ranking
