The College Football Playoff Selection Committee revealed its penultimate set of top 25 rankings on Tuesday night.
Clemson (10-2, 8-0 ACC) dropped one spot to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings following its 31-30 loss to South Carolina last Saturday at Death Valley.
The Tigers were previously ranked No. 8 in the fourth set of CFP rankings that were released a week ago.
The new top four features Georgia at No. 1, Michigan at No. 2, TCU at No. 3 and Southern Cal at No. 4.
Clemson’s opponent in the ACC Championship Game, North Carolina, dropped from No. 17 to No. 23 in the latest rankings after losing to NC State last Friday. The Tigers have wins over the other two ACC teams that are currently ranked in Florida State (No. 13) and NC State (No. 25).
The two teams that have beaten Clemson, South Carolina and Notre Dame, are ranked No. 19 and No. 21, respectively.
Tonight’s CFP rankings are the fifth of six released weekly through November and in early December. The final CFP top 25 will be announced on selection day, which is Sunday, Dec. 4.
Clemson will take on North Carolina (9-3, 6-2 ACC) in Saturday’s ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ABC.
Fifth CFP Top 25 Rankings
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. Southern Cal
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Clemson
10. Kansas State
11. Utah
12. Washington
13. Florida State
14. LSU
15. Oregon State
16. Oregon
17. UCLA
18. Tulane
19. South Carolina
20. Texas
21. Notre Dame
22. UCF
23. North Carolina
24. Mississippi State
25. NC State
