Where Clemson football ranks among top programs of the 2000s

Clemson has an .837 win percentage from the 2011 season-on, including two national titles, four national championship game appearances and seven CFP berths.

Brandon Rink · Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer · 1 day ago

A special run under Dabo Swinney for well over a decade now has earned Clemson a high placement in The Athletic's ranking of the top college football programs of the 2000s.

The Tigers slotted in at No. 6 overall.

"Clemson was admittedly nothing special for the century’s first 11 seasons, peaking at nine wins, and even then only four times. Then Dabo Swinney found his groove, and the Tigers won fewer than 10 games just once over the past 14 seasons. The program’s rise aligned with the start of the CFP, which it has reached seven times since 2015, with national championships in 2016 and 2018," said The Athletic's Stewart Mandel.

They fall outside a Top 5 of Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia and LSU.

Per their numbers, Ohio State boasts an .840 winning percentage (No. 1) with 12 total titles (conference + national) with 39 wins over Top 10 opponents (No. 1). Alabama owns the most national titles (6) and tied with Ohio State for wins over Top 10 foes.

Clemson has ranked seventh in win percentage since 2000 (.741), with that number boosting .837 to since 2011. The Tigers have 23 wins over Top 10 teams (8th) and 52 over Top 25 opponents (11th) with 11 titles.

The next ACC program is Florida State at No. 12 and Miami (14) and Virginia Tech (18) also made the ranking.

In The Athletic's series on 2000s college football, the classic 2016 season national title win over Alabama ranked seventh overall in Top 25 games.

"Alabama, the defending national champion and a team that eventually had 19 of 22 starters drafted, led 24-14 entering the fourth quarter of a rematch of the previous year’s title game. But Clemson rallied and an 88-yard drive that ended with a Wayne Gallman 1-yard run with 4:38 put the Tigers in front for the first time. Alabama answered, with Jalen Hurts skating through Clemson’s elite defense for a 30-yard touchdown to recapture the lead with 2:07 to play. Deshaun Watson led Clemson back and found Hunter Renfrow on a goal-line rub route to win the program’s first national title since 1981," David Ubben wrote.

Texas' Rose Bowl win over USC for the national title earned the top honor.

Clemson national title teams both made the Top 25 teams of the 2000s so far, at No. 6 (2018) and No. 23 (2016). Swinney ranked fifth among the top coaches of the 2000s.