CLEMSON, S.C. — Will there be a college football season? Still to be determined. But if so, the Clemson Tigers will be the top team going into 2020, at least according to the coaches.
The preseason USA TODAY Amway Coaches Poll was released Thursday with the Tigers sitting in first place. It's the second year in a row Clemson's been atop that presason ranking.
And why not? They have arguably the nation's top quarterback in junior Trevor Lawrence. The also return ACC Player of the Year and running back Travis Etienne, who decided to come back for his senior season instead of going to the NFL as most assumed he would. They're also loaded on defense again.
Add to that a recruiting class ranked second in the nation by Rivals.com, featuring multiple five-star recruits, and you can understand why the other coaches would be high on the team.
All of this, of course, is subject to change if the ongoing pandemic ruins the college football season. But so far, plans are to have the games.
Clemson is followed by Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and LSU, which rounds out the top five.
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.
Last year, Clemson made it all the way to the National Championship game where they lost to LSU, a team that had NCAA record-breaking offense. It was their only loss of the year, and their first loss in two season.
Clemson's updated 2020 schedule was also released Thursday, As previously announced, it will feature 10 conference games and one non-conference contest. Noticably absent is their annual Palmetto Bowl rivalry game against South Carolina, which was scrapped when the SEC decided on a conference only, 10 game schedule for all member teams.
Clemson has not picked who that non conference team will be now, but that game is set to take place on September 19.
