With the college football season drawing closer by the day, a national outlet assessed where every team stands entering the upcoming campaign.

Athlon Sports ranked all 136 teams in the FBS, projecting where each team will finish at the end of the 2025.

Clemson is projected to finish fifth in the country behind Georgia at No. 4, Ohio State at No. 3, Penn State at No. 2 and Texas at No. 1.

“The Tigers returned to the top of the ACC last season and are poised for a run at the national title in 2025,” Athlon’s Steven Lassan wrote. “Quarterback Cade Klubnik and one of the nation’s top receiving corps are back, while the defense is loaded behind new coordinator Tom Allen.”

Miami is the next highest-ranked ACC team, coming in at No. 10, with SMU (No. 24) the only other ACC team in the top 25.

Meanwhile, Clemson’s season-opening opponent, LSU, is ranked No. 7.

“Coach Brian Kelly hopes the return of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and a deep receiving corps, along with a heavy investment in portal additions on both sides of the ball, is enough to lift the Tigers back to the playoff,” Lassan wrote. “Optimism is also high for the defense to take a step forward in coordinator Blake Baker’s second season.”

After LSU, the next highest-ranked team on Clemson’s 2025 schedule is rival South Carolina at No. 12.

“Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks nearly made the College Football Playoff after a second-half surge last season,” Lassan wrote. “South Carolina suffered heavy losses along its defensive front and at linebacker, while question marks remain about the receiving corps and offensive line. Despite those concerns, quarterback LaNorris Sellers is simply good enough to cover up some of those issues.”

Athlon Sports recently released its ACC football predictions as well and projected Clemson as the conference champion over runner-up Miami. If the Tigers win the ACC title yet again, it would mark their ninth conference crown in 11 years dating to 2015.

Here’s where every team on Clemson’s 2025 schedule stands in Athlon Sports’ college football top 136 team rankings for 2025, with the rankings in parentheses being their projected finish at the conclusion of the season:

Aug. 30: vs. LSU (No. 7)

Sept. 6: vs. Troy (No. 100)

Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech (No. 34)

Sept. 20: vs. Syracuse (No. 57)

Oct. 4: at North Carolina (No. 52)

Oct. 11: at Boston College (No. 56)

Oct. 18: vs. SMU (No. 24)

Nov. 1: vs. Duke (No. 41)

Nov. 8: vs. Florida State (No. 42)

Nov. 14 (Fri.): at Louisville (No. 26)

Nov. 22: vs. Furman (FCS, not ranked)

Nov. 29: at South Carolina (No. 12)