After returning to the College Football Playoff last year, Clemson is projected by ESPN to take another step forward, opening at No. 1 in the network’s preseason ACC power rankings. Analysts see Dabo Swinney’s squad as the league’s top national title threat and the only ACC team currently slotted in the “should be in” playoff category.

Early in the season, the AP top 25 preseason poll gives fans an idea of which are the best teams in the country, and from there, the CFP selectors reveal their own rankings to determine the playoff field. Of all the preseason AP No. 1 ranked teams during the College Football Playoff era, all but three have made the College Football Playoff.