College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 9

Clemson toyed with Syracuse for a while on Saturday afternoon in South Carolina, allowing the Orange to pull within six points midway through the third quarter. But the Tigers then clamped down, running away with a 47-21 victory that will preserve their position atop the AP Top 25 for another week. Their margin at the top could get a bit thinner, though, especially with Ohio State returning to competition and potentially siphoning away a few first-place votes.

Trevor Lawrence was a cool 27-of-43 for 289 yards, throwing two touchdowns and an interception along the way. Travis Etienne racked up three rushing touchdowns and 86 yards on 16 carries, pacing an otherwise quiet game for Clemson’s rushing attack. The defense came through for the Tigers, forcing three Rex Culpepper interceptions and holding the Orange to just 325 total yards of offense.

The defending ACC champions host Boston College on Halloween, then turn around and hit the road for a November 7 tilt in South Bend against Notre Dame. Dabo Swinney’s crew doesn’t get a week off until after the battle against the Fighting Irish, but they will still be favored in every game until someone manages to knock them off their pedestal as the top ACC team.