Where Clemson ranks in first CFP Top 25

Clemson is ranked No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, which were released Tuesday night on ESPN.

Georgia is No. 1, followed by Alabama at No. 2 and Notre Dame at No. 3. If that scenario holds, Clemson would face against the No. 1 Bulldogs for the right to play in the national championship game.

Georgia and Alabama, SEC rivals, are both undefeated and have been dominating their competition. The Bulldogs’ one close game was at Notre Dame in September, a 20-19 victory.

The Fighting Irish (7-1) have not lost since, including blowouts of Michigan State, Southern California and North Carolina State.

Oklahoma and Ohio State were the next two in the selection committee’s initial top 25. The final rankings that will determine the participants in the College Football Playoff semifinals come out Dec. 3.

The Tigers (7-1, 5-1 ACC) will play at N.C. State (6-2, 4-0) this weekend with the ACC Atlantic title on the line.

Clemson, the defending national champions, is trying to make the playoff for the third consecutive year.

The Tigers entered the playoff as the No. 1 team in 2015 before losing in the national title game and were No. 2 last year before defeating Alabama to win the championship.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said his team is not concerned with the rankings at this point in the year.

“It just doesn’t matter. I mean it just really doesn’t matter. If they have us second and we get our butt beat this week it don’t matter. If they have us 10^th but yet we win out we’ll be where we need to be,” Swinney said. “I think we’ve played a pretty good schedule. We’ve played a lot of teams that have won a bunch of games and a lot of teams that have been in position to win some others, some very competitive teams. But we’ve got to take care of business. It’s just that simple. It just doesn’t matter. If you win, I think when it’s all said and done you’ll have an opportunity whenever the last poll comes out. That’s the one that matters... Right now it’s just irrelevant. I know it matters to the fans and all that stuff, but it is so irrelevant to what’s going to happen in Raleigh this weekend. It just doesn’t matter.”

The College Football Playoff rankings will continue to be updated each Tuesday night through the rest of the season.

This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Where Clemson ranks in first CFP Top 25."