On offense, only Texas, Penn State, Ohio State and Arizona State are rated higher than Clemson’s 89. Defensively, only nine teams in the game have a better unit than the Tigers, with Alabama leading that group at a stout 96.

Rounding out the top 25 overall teams are Miami (86), Florida (86), Texas Tech (86), Arizona State (85), Michigan (85), Ole Miss (85), Oklahoma (85), Indiana (85), SMU (84), Tennessee (84), Missouri (84), Auburn (84), Duke (84), South Carolina (82) and Illinois (82).

During pregame at Memorial Stadium, Clemson lays a long, orange carpet down in the middle of The Hill for the team to run down. After the team runs down, that carpet is rolled up and students quickly fill. But “College Football 25” kept the carpet and empty space in place midgame, an odd look in an otherwise packed area.