With the 2025 college football campaign coming to a close with Monday night’s national championship game between Miami and Indiana, various national outlets are already looking ahead and releasing way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2026 season.

One of those came from USA Today, and Clemson checked in at No. 19 in that outlet’s too-early top 25.

Here’s what USA Today’s Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg wrote about the Tigers, who are coming off a disappointing 7-6 season in 2025 after starting the year ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Poll with national title aspirations:

This is a major roll of the dice given how the Tigers’ abysmal 2025 season and the uncertainty at quarterback, with junior Christopher Vizzina set to take over after an unimpressive run in the backup role. But Clemson has done a better job in the portal, grabbing edge London Merritt (Colorado), safety Corey Myrick (Southern Mississippi) and corner Donovan Starr (Auburn), among others, and Dabo Swinney will still have a roster that might be the most talented in the ACC. A lot is hinging on whether new offensive coordinator Chad Morris can recapture the magic of his previous stint with the program.

Texas is the top-ranked team in USA Today’s too-early top 25, with Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana and Notre Dame rounding out the top five.

Former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ Oklahoma team is No. 6, while Miami is the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 10.

Clemson will open the 2026 season against LSU at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Sept. 5. The Bayou Bengals are ranked No. 15 in USA Today’s too-early top 25.

Along with Clemson and Miami, other ACC teams in USA Today’s too-early top 25 include SMU (No. 16) and Florida State (No. 22).

Clemson is not scheduled to play SMU during the 2026 regular season, but will have a home game against Miami and a road game against FSU.