A longtime college football pundit recently released his projected preseason AP Top 10, about six months in advance of the actual AP Poll release before the 2025 season.

Phil Steele predicts Clemson to be ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll, coming off last season’s ACC Championship and appearance in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

In Steele’s AP Preseason Top 10 projection, Clemson is ahead of No. 10 Tennessee and behind No. 8 LSU, which opens the 2025 season against Clemson at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.

Defending national champion Ohio State is No. 1 in Steele’s projection, with Texas, Oregon, Georgia and Penn State rounding out the top five. Notre Dame is No. 6 and Alabama is No. 7, followed by LSU, Clemson and Tennessee.

Steele – who says that over the last 15 years, 95% of his projected top 10 teams ended up making the actual top 10 — noted that this is not his personal preseason top 10 for next season but instead what he is projecting the preseason AP Top 10 to look like.

Clemson was ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP Poll prior to the 2024 season, and the Tigers (10-4, 7-1 ACC) finished in exactly the same No. 14 spot in the final AP Poll.