The release of the first CFP rankings of the year saw Clemson all the way down at No.5, behind Ohio State, LSU, Alabama and Penn State.

The reigning national champions are 9-0 and have won their last 24 games—dating back to January last year—but that hasn’t impressed the CFP committee.

Like Alabama, Clemson hasn’t defeated a team currently featuring in the Associated Press Top 25 poll or the CFP ranking. Both teams beat Texas A&M, whose 6-3 record makes it the most prestigious scalp the two programs have claimed so far this season.

The Tigers are paying the price for a one-point win over North Carolina, who currently has a losing record, and for the relative weakness of the ACC—No. 19 Wake Forest is the only other ranked team in the conference.

Clemson began the season as the top-ranked team in the nation in the AP poll, but fell down the rankings for three consecutive weeks between Week 5 and Week 7.

The combination of an easy schedule and consistently brilliant performances from Ohio State, LSU and Penn State has contributed to the Tigers’ drop down the rankings, more than any particular fault of their own.

The Tigers have scored 40 or more points in seven games, have won games by an average margin of 29.4 points and two of their past three wins have come against ACC programs with winning records.

The defending champions have won their last two outings by a combined 118-21 scoreline, but none of that was enough to grant them a top-four spot in the CFP.

With another unranked team up on the slate in the shape of North Carolina State, it’s difficult to see Clemson gaining any ground this week when it travels to Raleigh on Saturday.

At the same time, the Tigers know that if they win their remaining regular-season game they will in all likelihood be included among the four teams making the playoffs—the CFP committee would have some explaining to do if it left out a team that could feasibly go undefeated in two consecutive seasons.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney insisted this week that neither he nor his players would pay too much attention to the CFP rankings, particularly as the situation can change between now and Selection Sunday on December 8.

“It just doesn’t matter,” he said during his press conference on Tuesday.

“If we’re No.2, 3, 4, 15—it just doesn’t matter. It’s not worth the brain cells.”

While that may be true, Clemson has no room for error over the next four weeks.

Since the CFP’s inception five years ago, 11 of the 20 semifinalists made the top four in the first weekly ranking and six of the last eight semifinalists were included in the top four in the committee’s first release.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday.

When and where is the game?

The Clemson Tigers take on the North Carolina Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, November 9.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

TV coverage

The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

Live stream

A live stream will be available via ABC’s digital platforms.

Series record

Clemson has the upper hand in the all-time series, with 58 wins in 87 meetings to North Carolina’s 28.

The Tigers have the last seven games against the Wolfpack and their last visit to Raleigh two years ago ended in a 38-31 victory.

Odds

According to Oddschecker, Clemson is a 32-point favorite and is 22/25 to cover the spread. The over/under line in terms of total points scored is set at 53.5.