Clemson is ranked No. 1 in the Preseason AP Poll, adding yet another layer to the ongoing competition at the top with Alabama at No. 2.
It matters more than you think it does. Everything counts.
Now, the Tigers will find out what it's like to wear a label Alabama has taken on five times since 2010, and it's only going to turn up the heat between the two schools heading into the 2019 college football season and beyond.
We're not talking about national championships. The Tigers were voted No. 1 for the first time in school history on Monday, another nod to the program's rise under coach Dabo Swinney. It's not just that. They are on equal footing with arguably the greatest college dynasty of all time at Alabama with Nick Saban.
Clemson crossed that blue-blood line for good when it beat the Crimson Tide by a final score of 44-16 in the College Football Playoff championship game last season. The Tigers have split four playoff meetings with Alabama and won two of the three national championship games.
If Clemson goes wire-to-wire as No. 1 this season, then that would be three national titles in four years and the bonus of what could be the highest-rated recruiting class of all time on the way in 2020. At that point, you would have to consider Swinney the top coach in the game and the Tigers the top program in the FBS if you don't already.
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Go ahead, decry that preseason polls don't matter. Everything matters with these two schools.
The Crimson Tide were tabbed the Preseason No. 1 in 2010, '13, '16, '17 and '18. Alabama won the national title in '17, but the other teams did not accomplish the ultimate goal. Saban's other Alabama national championship teams in '09 (No. 5), '11 (No. 2), '12 (No. 2) and '15 (No. 5) had motivation to start the season.
That's where the 2019 team is, and Saban will use that to his advantage all season long. You get the sense both schools know Alabama-Clemson V is coming.
That would explain why Alabama's Dylan Moses wondered whether Georgia was a tougher matchup than Clemson or why Clemson's John Simpson responded by saying Notre Dame was tougher than Alabama. Those statements simply aren't true, and both sides know it. It's all about trying to get a competitive advantage. That's the difference between No. 1 and No. 2.
That also adds some much-needed spice to a rivalry which has featured Saban and Swinney spending the last four Playoffs praising the other before either a semifinal or championship game.
So, how will Clemson handle being a first-time No. 1? The last first-time No. 1 to win the national championship was Michigan State in 1952. The last four first-time No. 1 teams struggled with the label, including Georgia in 2008.
| YEAR | PRESEASON NO. 1 | FINAL RANK | RECORD |
| 1951 | Tennessee | 1 | 10-1 |
| 1952 | Michigan State | 1 | 9-0 |
| 1955 | UCLA | 4 | 9-2 |
| 1959 | LSU | 3 | 9-2 |
| 1960 | Syracuse | T-19 | 7-2 |
| 1961 | Iowa | NR | 5-4 |
| 1964 | Mississippi | NR | 5-5-1 |
| 1968 | Purdue | 10 | 8-2 |
| 1982 | Pittsburgh | 10 | 9-3 |
| 1984 | Auburn | 14 | 9-4 |
| 1997 | Penn State | 16 | 9-3 |
| 2008 | Georgia | 13 | 10-3 |
Pittsburgh (1982), Auburn (1984), Penn State (1997) and Georgia (2008) could not handle the hype, but it’s not fair to put the Tigers in that class. Clemson has proven repeatedly that it is worthy of all those labels bestowed on the program now. The ACC Network is counting on that success, and it's launching with No. 1 against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29.
The days of "Clemsoning" are over. Alabama knows it, and the competition to be the best program in the FBS is more heated than ever. Everything counts, and in this case, the difference in the preseason poll was 44 points.
No. 1 matters a lot more than you think it does, especially with these two.
