By Will Vandervort.
Clemson is ranked No. 16 in the country in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll which was released on Thursday. The Tigers recorded 535 votes to come in at No. 16.
The Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at FBS schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football Coaches Association their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.
Clemson will welcome back 52 lettermen from last year’s 11-2 team that beat preseason No. 6 Ohio State in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers, who have four starters back on offense and seven on defense, begin training camp on Friday. Clemson will kickoff the 2014 season on Aug. 31 at No. 12 Georgia.
In all, the Tigers will play four teams ranked inside the coaches preseason top 25 — No. 1 Florida State, No. 9 South Carolina, No. 12 Georgia and No. 23 North Carolina.