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College Football Playoff Rankings 2017: Projected final rankings

By Brad Weiss

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 2: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 41-17 in the Big 12 Championship AT&T Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 2: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 41-17 in the Big 12 Championship AT&T Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 02: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter during the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 02: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter during the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Clemson Tigers (12-1)

Last week: W 38-3 vs. Miami (FL)
Last rank: 1

The Clemson Tigers were not supposed to be this good in 2017, not after losing most of their production on offense due to the NFL Draft. Quarterback Deshaun Watson led the Tigers to an upset win over Alabama in last year’s title game, ending his Clemson career as an absolute legend in Death Valley. Junior Kelly Bryant took over for Watson under center in 2017, and after a couple of bumps early on, he has become the unquestioned leader of the Tigers heading into the College Football Playoff.

Clemson took on the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night, and they proved they are by far the most dominant team in the conference. The Tigers completely dominated the Hurricanes on both sides of the ball, and will now steamroll into the College Football Playoff. If they can win their national semifinal game, they will be appearing in their third straight national title game, which would be quite the accomplishment for arguably the best football program in the country.

For the Tigers, they boast one of the better defensive lines we have seen in quite a long time. Guys like Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell, and Christian Wilkins are an incredible force up front, making like hell for opposing quarterbacks. It is going to be very hard for any team to move the ball against them with any consistency, and if Bryant had not been hurt during the Syracuse game earlier this season, this Tigers team would likely have gone undefeated in 2017.

Next: Oklahoma routs TCU in Big 12 Championship Game: 3 takeaways

If the Clemson Tigers can go all the way for the second straight season, they will be the first program to do so with two different starting quarterbacks since Alabama back in the late 1970s. Bryant has stepped in beautifully for Watson, who looked to be the Rookie of the Year in the NFL before he got hurt. Clemson lost 80 percent of their offense from their championship team last year, but that has not stopped head coach Dabo Swinney from putting together the premier team in college football once again.

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