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Updated college football rankings: Should Clemson drop after near upset vs Syracuse?

By Cody Williams

Oct 22, 2022; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney waits for a video replay result before the offense was officially called for being short on a fourth-and-two play during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina on Saturday, October 22, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK
Oct 22, 2022; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney waits for a video replay result before the offense was officially called for being short on a fourth-and-two play during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina on Saturday, October 22, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK /
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Clemson needed a second-half comeback to stave off a Syracuse upset but will the Tigers drop in the next college football rankings after the close call?

Going into halftime, the Clemson Tigers were firmly on upset alert. Riding a 37-game home winning streak into Week 8, the Syracuse Orange had Dabo Swinney’s team hurt and on the ropes as they led 21-10.

But after DJ Uiagalelei threw his second interception for his third turnover of the day midway through the second half, the game flipped on its head as the Tigers made the switch at quarterback to highly touted freshman Cade Klubnik.

That clearly sparked the offense (and perhaps the defense too) as the Tigers blanked the Orange from there on out and scored on Klubnik’s first two possessions after he took over. After adding a field goal and then nabbing a game-sealing interception in the final 30 seconds, Clemson was able to move to 8-0 on the season with a comeback win.

But the big question is if the Tigers will maintain their spot in the college football rankings, especially after they dropped to No. 5 from No. 4 last week after a narrow win over Florida State.

Updated college football rankings after Clemson survives Syracuse

  1. Georgia Bullodgs
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Tennessee Volunteers
  4. Michigan Wolverines
  5. Clemson Tigers
  6. Alabama Crimson Tide
  7. Ole Miss Rebels
  8. TCU Horned Frogs
  9. UCLA Bruins
  10. Oregon Ducks
  11. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  12. USC Trojans
  13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
  14. Utah Utes
  15. Penn State Nittany Lions
  16. Kansas State Wildcats
  17. Illinois Fighting Illini
  18. Syracuse Orange
  19. Kentucky Wildcats
  20. Texas Longhorns
  21. Cincinnati Bearcats
  22. North Carolina Tar Heels
  23. NC State Wolfpack
  24. Mississippi State Bulldogs
  25. Tulane Green Wave

Point blank, I don’t see Clemson moving anywhere in the polls. That could change depending on the result of Ole Miss playing at LSU in the mid-afternoon slate of games, but the Tigers still deserve to be in the Top 5 over a one-loss Alabama team.

The bigger question is how far Syracuse drops after the tough loss, but keeping them inside the Top 20 only feels fair. They’ve passed every test to this point and did so again as they gave Clemson everything that the Tigers could handle on Saturday.

This won’t be the only game to affect the college football rankings on Saturday in Week 8 but it’s the first big domino to fall. And rest assured, Clemson dodged a huge bullet in doing so.

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