To Trevor Lawrence, he looks at Clemson being ranked No. 2 as a positive. The sophomore believes being the underdog relieves some of the pressure that comes along with being the top-ranked team in the country.

“If you look at that stuff, it can get frustrating,” he said. “We are the only ones who really know our team and know what we are doing and how hard we are working to be the best we can be. It’s also just a learning process. This is a new team. It’s not the same makeup as last year. It’s nice now having everyone say we suck, so we are in the back seat. It’s nice we can go to work and not worry about the No. 1 expectation.”

The No. 1 expectation might not be a worry anymore, but the standard for the Tigers remains the same. Lawrence knows the offense must improve to meet the standard, but says it doesn’t get better than being undefeated.

“I think everyone has an expectation for the year. Obviously, you want to start out well,” the quarterback said. “We are 5-0, and you can’t be any better than that from a record standpoint. There are definitely some areas where we can get better. I think as far as being expected to be better than we are, I think being 5-0 is as good as you can get, but we definitely know that we can get a lot better.”

Lawrence went on to explain why he is not phased with Clemson dropping in both the Associated Press and the Amway Coaches Poll.

“I don’t think it really matters either way,” the sophomore says. “I think from a media stand point, you definitely get a lot more media conversation and talk about you when you are No. 1. That can be good and bad. I don’t think it really matters when it comes to the playoff. Everyone is just trying to get in those four spots. I don’t think it matters in the end at all. It all works itself out, we say, and that’s what I always say. It’s about who the best teams are after the twelve game and the championship game. It’s not really about how good everyone is at week 5.”

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