The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2020 season were released Tuesday night, and the Tigers are ranked No. 3.
Clemson (7-1) is in the top four of the CFP rankings, despite losing to Notre Dame (8-0) in their last game on Nov. 7.
In front of the Tigers is No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Notre Dame. Ohio State rounds out the top 4 at No. 4.
College Football Playoff committee chair Gary Barta explained why Clemson is No. 3 and said injuries and players who missed the game played into the decision.
Clemson was without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence against the Irish, as well as starting linebackers Mike Jones Jr. and James Skalski and starting defensive tackle Tyler Davis.
"They've really dominated everyone that they played against other than of course the No. 2 team in Notre Dame. And they were short. They didn't have Trevor Lawrence. They didn't have some of their best defenders," Barta said. "But they've got a solid win against a 10th-ranked Miami team. And at the end of the day the committee just decided that Clemson deserved that No. 3 slot."
