Clemson Opens at No. 1 in Coaches Poll
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson will enter the 2020 campaign ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to the preseason Coaches Poll released by USA Today on Thursday. The selection marks Clemson’s second straight No. 1 ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll and its second in school history.
The top ranking represents Clemson’s fifth consecutive Top 5 preseason Coaches Poll debut in the last five years, extending the longest such streak in program history. Prior to last season when Clemson finished ranked second, the Tigers had exceeded their preseason Coaches Poll ranking in each of the previous eight seasons.
| YEAR | PRESEASON RANK (COACHES POLL) | POSTSEASON RANK (COACHES POLL) |
| 2011 | NR | 22 |
| 2012 | 14 | 9 |
| 2013 | 8 | 7 |
| 2014 | 16 | 15 |
| 2015 | 12 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 |
| 2017 | 5 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 | TBD |
Clemson garnered 38 first-place votes. The 2020 squad joins the 1982 (No. 9), 1984 (8), 1988 (4), 2008 (9), 2013 (8), 2016 (2), 2017 (5), 2018 (2) and 2019 (1) squads as one of 10 Clemson teams to enter the year in the Coaches Poll preseason Top 10.
Earlier today, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Clemson’s updated schedule for the 2020 season. More information on Clemson’s 2020 schedule can be found here.
