CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2018 Clemson

15–⁠0 (8–⁠0 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dabo Swinney, finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Clemson in 2018, game by game: won vs. Furman 48–7; won at Texas A&M 28–26; won vs. Georgia Southern 38–7; won at Georgia Tech 49–21; won vs. Syracuse 27–23; won at Wake Forest 63–3; won vs. No. 16 NC State 41–7; won at Florida State 59–10; won vs. Louisville 77–16; won at No. 17 Boston College 27–7; won vs. Duke 35–6; won vs. South Carolina 56–35; won vs. Pittsburgh 42–10; won vs. No. 3 Notre Dame 30–3; won vs. No. 1 Alabama 44–16+61Won 48–7 vs. Furman+41FurmanWon 28–26 at Texas A&M+2Texas A&MWon 38–7 vs. Georgia Southern+31Georgia SouthernWon 49–21 at Georgia Tech+28Georgia TechWon 27–23 vs. Syracuse+4SyracuseWon 63–3 at Wake Forest+60Wake ForestWon 41–7 vs. No. 16 NC State+34No. 16 NC StateWon 59–10 at Florida State+49Florida StateWon 77–16 vs. Louisville+61LouisvilleWon 27–7 at No. 17 Boston College+20No. 17 Boston CollegeWon 35–6 vs. Duke+29DukeWon 56–35 vs. South Carolina+21South CarolinaWon 42–10 vs. Pittsburgh+32PittsburghWon 30–3 vs. No. 3 Notre Dame+27No. 3 Notre DameWon 44–16 vs. No. 1 Alabama+28No. 1 Alabama
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsFurmanW 48–⁠791%
Sep 8atTexas A&MW 28–⁠2667%
Sep 15vsGeorgia SouthernW 38–⁠788%
Sep 22atGeorgia TechW 49–⁠2173%
Sep 29vsSyracuseW 27–⁠2384%
Oct 6atWake ForestW 63–⁠374%
Oct 20vs16NC StateW 41–⁠772%
Oct 27atFlorida StateW 59–⁠1072%
Nov 3vsLouisvilleW 77–⁠1693%
Nov 10at17Boston CollegeW 27–⁠769%
Nov 17vsDukeW 35–⁠685%
Nov 24vsSouth CarolinaW 56–⁠3587%
Dec 1vsPittsburghACC Championship GameW 42–⁠1082%
Dec 29Bowls & playoffvs3Notre DameCotton Bowl, CFP SemifinalW 30–⁠359%
Jan 7Bowls & playoffvs1AlabamaCFP National ChampionshipW 44–⁠1646%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Alabama 44–⁠16 in the CFP National Championship; No. 1 in the final AP poll; Atlantic Coast Conference champions.

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

AP poll, week by week

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

National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll, and a title the school claims

Atlantic Coast Conference champions8–⁠0 in the conference, won the ACC Championship Game

Led the nationTravis Etienne: rushing touchdowns (24 TD), points (156 pts)

Ted Hendricks AwardClelin Ferrell, DE

William V. Campbell TrophyChristian Wilkins, DT

Burlsworth TrophyHunter Renfrow, WR

3 consensus All-AmericansMitch Hyatt, OL; Clelin Ferrell, DE; Christian Wilkins, DT

Paul “Bear” Bryant AwardDabo Swinney, coach

Record
15–⁠0
Conference
8–⁠0 first in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
No. 1 peak No. 1
Points
664–⁠197
Coach
Dabo Swinney
Elo
1937 +213 this season
SP+ rating
29.7 No. 3 of 130; offense No. 5, defense No. 3, special teams No. 92
SRS
29.0 No. 1 of 130 in FBS
Returning
79% of last season’s EPA, No. 27 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 7 roster talent No. 5 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott
Defensive coordinator
Brent Venables
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense4th of 130
  • Defense2nd of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted4th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted2nd of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.3149%1.354th of 130
Defense-0.1134%1.132nd of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.29 off
-0.10 def		49% off
33% def		—4th 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
Offense4.5own 3012% allowed
Defense2.0own 2721% caused

CORE rating 31.7, 2nd of 130 (offense 11.8, 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 yardsTrevor Lawrence QB3,280 yds
Passing touchdownsTrevor Lawrence QB30 TD
Rushing yardsTravis Etienne RB1,658 yds
Rushing touchdownsTravis Etienne RB24 TD
Receiving yardsJustyn Ross WR1,000 yds
Receiving touchdownsTee Higgins WR12 TD
TacklesIsaiah Simmons LB79 tkl
SacksClelin Ferrell DE11.5 sacks
InterceptionsA.J. Terrell CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Trevor Lawrence PRO★★★★★No. 1
Xavier Thomas SDE★★★★★No. 3
K.J. Henry WDE★★★★★No. 14
Jackson Carman OT★★★★★No. 17
Derion Kendrick WR★★★★★No. 26
Justyn Ross WR★★★★No. 45
Kyler McMichael CB★★★★No. 56
Josh Belk DT★★★★No. 102

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

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks15.01.000
Running backs14.00.908
Receivers34.00.940
Offensive line24.00.925
Defensive line54.20.952
Linebackers23.50.900
Defensive backs14.00.972
Athletes and specialists23.50.888
Whole class174.00.935

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 2019

The 2019 draft
Rd 1Clelin Ferrell DEOakland Raiders
Rd 1Christian Wilkins DTMiami Dolphins
Rd 1Dexter Lawrence DTNew York Giants
Rd 2Trayvon Mullen CBOakland Raiders
Rd 4Austin Bryant DEDetroit Lions
Rd 5Hunter Renfrow WROakland Raiders

Roster 113

The 2018 roster

113 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 74 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson8–⁠015–⁠01
Syracuse6–⁠210–⁠315
Pittsburgh6–⁠27–⁠7
NC State5–⁠39–⁠4
Georgia Tech5–⁠37–⁠6
Virginia4–⁠48–⁠5
Boston College4–⁠47–⁠5
Miami4–⁠47–⁠6
Virginia Tech4–⁠46–⁠7
Duke3–⁠58–⁠5
Wake Forest3–⁠57–⁠6
Florida State3–⁠55–⁠7
North Carolina1–⁠72–⁠9
Louisville0–⁠82–⁠10

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