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2017 Clemson

12–⁠2 (7–⁠1 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dabo Swinney, finished No. 4 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Clemson in 2017, game by game: won vs. Kent State 56–3; won vs. No. 13 Auburn 14–6; won at No. 14 Louisville 47–21; won vs. Boston College 34–7; won at No. 12 Virginia Tech 31–17; won vs. Wake Forest 28–14; lost at Syracuse 24–27; won vs. Georgia Tech 24–10; won at No. 20 NC State 38–31; won vs. Florida State 31–14; won vs. The Citadel 61–3; won at South Carolina 34–10; won vs. No. 7 Miami 38–3; lost vs. No. 4 Alabama 6–24+58−18Won 56–3 vs. Kent State+53Kent StateWon 14–6 vs. No. 13 Auburn+8No. 13 AuburnWon 47–21 at No. 14 Louisville+26No. 14 LouisvilleWon 34–7 vs. Boston College+27Boston CollegeWon 31–17 at No. 12 Virginia Tech+14No. 12 Virginia TechWon 28–14 vs. Wake Forest+14Wake ForestLost 24–27 at Syracuse-3SyracuseWon 24–10 vs. Georgia Tech+14Georgia TechWon 38–31 at No. 20 NC State+7No. 20 NC StateWon 31–14 vs. Florida State+17Florida StateWon 61–3 vs. The Citadel+58The CitadelWon 34–10 at South Carolina+24South CarolinaWon 38–3 vs. No. 7 Miami+35No. 7 MiamiLost 6–24 vs. No. 4 Alabama-18No. 4 Alabama
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsKent StateW 56–⁠392%
Sep 9vs13AuburnW 14–⁠676%
Sep 16at14LouisvilleW 47–⁠2161%
Sep 23vsBoston CollegeW 34–⁠791%
Sep 30at12Virginia TechW 31–⁠1762%
Oct 7vsWake ForestW 28–⁠1487%
Oct 13atSyracuseL 24–⁠2786%
Oct 28vsGeorgia TechW 24–⁠1078%
Nov 4at20NC StateW 38–⁠3168%
Nov 11vsFlorida StateW 31–⁠1484%
Nov 18vsThe CitadelW 61–⁠396%
Nov 25atSouth CarolinaW 34–⁠1074%
Dec 2vs7MiamiACC Championship GameW 38–⁠366%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs4AlabamaSugar Bowl, CFP SemifinalL 6–⁠2453%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Alabama 24–⁠6 in the Sugar Bowl, CFP Semifinal; No. 4 in the final AP poll; Atlantic Coast Conference champions.

In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 125 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 5
  2. Wk 2: 3
  3. Wk 3: 3
  4. Wk 4: 2
  5. Wk 5: 2
  6. Wk 6: 2
  7. Wk 7: 2
  8. Wk 8: 7
  9. Wk 9: 7
  10. Wk 10: 6
  11. Wk 11: 4
  12. Wk 12: 4
  13. Wk 13: 4
  14. Wk 14: 1
  15. Wk 15: 1
  16. Final: 4

Atlantic Coast Conference champions7–⁠1 in the conference, won the ACC Championship Game

Broyles AwardTony Elliott, coach

Record
12–⁠2
Conference
7–⁠1 shared first in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
No. 4 peak No. 1
Points
466–⁠190
Coach
Dabo Swinney
Elo
1836 +84 this season
SP+ rating
26.4 No. 5 of 128; offense No. 20, defense No. 2, special teams No. 112
SRS
24.2 No. 1 of 130 in FBS
Returning
24% of last season’s EPA, No. 119 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 16 roster talent No. 9 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott
Defensive coordinator
Brent Venables
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense35th of 130
  • Defense3rd of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted16th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted2nd of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1546%1.0935th of 130
Defense-0.0934%1.103rd of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.19 off
-0.08 def		48% off
33% def		—16th off
2nd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.1own 3315% allowed
Defense2.4own 3122% caused

CORE rating 23.1, 5th of 130 (offense 3.1, defense -19.9).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsKelly Bryant QB2,802 yds
Passing touchdownsKelly Bryant QB13 TD
Rushing yardsTravis Etienne RB766 yds
Rushing touchdownsTravis Etienne RB13 TD
Receiving yardsDeon Cain WR734 yds
Receiving touchdownsDeon Cain WR6 TD
TacklesKendall Joseph LB96 tkl
SacksClelin Ferrell DE9.5 sacks
InterceptionsRyan Carter CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Tee Higgins WR★★★★★No. 19
Hunter Johnson PRO★★★★★No. 30
A.J. Terrell CB★★★★No. 55
Amari Rodgers WR★★★★No. 117
Justin Foster WDE★★★★No. 156
Jordan Williams WDE★★★★No. 167
LeAnthony Williams Jr. CB★★★★No. 204
Travis Etienne RB★★★★No. 216

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks33.30.885
Running backs14.00.917
Receivers24.50.968
Offensive line33.30.890
Defensive line34.00.919
Defensive backs33.70.920
Whole class153.70.913

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2018

The 2018 draft
Rd 3Dorian O’Daniel OLBKansas City Chiefs
Rd 6Deon Cain WRIndianapolis Colts
Rd 6Ray-Ray McCloud WRBuffalo Bills

Roster 113

The 2017 roster

113 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 77 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson7–⁠112–⁠24
Miami7–⁠110–⁠313
NC State6–⁠29–⁠423
Virginia Tech5–⁠39–⁠424
Wake Forest4–⁠48–⁠5
Louisville4–⁠48–⁠5
Boston College4–⁠47–⁠6
Georgia Tech4–⁠45–⁠6
Florida State3–⁠57–⁠6
Duke3–⁠57–⁠6
Virginia3–⁠56–⁠7
Pittsburgh3–⁠55–⁠7
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
North Carolina1–⁠73–⁠9

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.