College Sports

It’s official: NC State vs Clemson will be top-10 matchup. Here’s the latest AP poll

N.C. State-Clemson will be a battle of top 10 teams.

The Wolfpack moved up two spots to No. 10 in the latest AP poll, while the Tigers remained No. 5 in the latest rankings.

The last time the Wolfpack was in the top 10 was Oct. 27, 2002, when it was No. 10.

Both N.C. State and Clemson are 4-0 entering Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. ACC showdown that will be broadcast on ABC. ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to the Carolinas for the second time in three weeks, only adding to the excitement as their show from Clemson will be part of the festivities when the Wolfpack and Tigers battle at Death Valley.

No. 12 in last week’s rankings, it was time for the Wolfpack to join the Tigers in the top 10.

N.C. State (4-0) hammered UConn as expected Saturday night, routing the FBS Huskies, 41-10. That was expected.

What wasn’t expected was Texas Tech beating Texas, 37-34, in overtime. These are the same Texas Tech Red Raiders N.C. State beat, 27-14, a week earlier at Carter-Finley Stadium. That added to N.C. State’s profile.

Oklahoma and Arkansas were top 10 teams that suffered losses on Saturday, clearing the way for N.C. State to move up. A home loss to Kansas State (41-34) caused Oklahoma to fall 12 spots to No. 18.

Arkansas tumbled 10 spots after its 23-21 loss to Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas.

The ACC lost a ranked team as Miami, at No. 25 last week, suffered a 45-31 loss to Middle Tennessee, sending the Hurricanes out of the poll.

But the ACC gained another as Florida State (4-0) entered the poll for the first time this season, the Seminoles’ first appearance in the poll since the start of the 2018 season.

Wake Forest (3-1) fell one spot to No. 22 after its 51-45 double-overtime loss at home to Clemson on Saturday.

Florida State was among three teams that entered the poll this week. No. 21 Minnesota (4-0) and No. 25 Kansas State also joined the rankings.

Latest AP Top 25 rankings

Rk.

Team

1

Georgia

2

Alabama

3

Ohio State

4

Michigan

5

Clemson

6

USC

7

Kentucky

8

Tennessee

9

Oklahoma State

10

N.C. State

11

Penn State

12

Utah

13

Oregon

14

Mississippi

15

Washington

16

Baylor

17

Texas A&M

18

Oklahoma

19

BYU

20

Arkansas

21

Minnesota

22

Wake Forest

23

Florida State

24

Pittsburgh

25

Kansas State

Steve Wiseman’s latest AP ballot

1Georgia
2Alabama
3Ohio State
4Clemson
5Michigan
6USC
7

Oklahoma State

8Kentucky
9Penn State
10N.C. State
11Washington
12Oregon
13Mississippi
14Tennessee
15Oklahoma
16Texas A&M
17BYU
18Baylor
19Utah
20Wake Forest
21Pitt
22Arkansas
23Cincinnati
24Kansas State
25Kansas

This story was originally published September 25, 2022 at 9:56 AM with the headline "It’s official: NC State vs Clemson will be top-10 matchup. Here’s the latest AP poll."

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Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989. 
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