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).

Athlon Sports has released its projections for the 2025 college football season, and Clemson is firmly positioned among the nation’s elite. The Tigers are ranked No. 5 in Athlon’s end-of-season rankings prediction, highlighting their potential to make a serious run at a national championship this fall.