Are the Clemson Tigers a playoff team?
That’s a topic that national college football media are having following the Tigers’ 4-1 start to the season that includes four straight wins by at least two scores and a schedule that sets up favorably for Dabo Swinney’s team.
ESPN college football analyst Heather Dinich weighed in with her projected 12-team College Football Playoff ffield Tuesday morning (subscription required) and sees Clemson as a No. 10 seed, with the Miami Hurricanes winning the ACC and garnering the No. 3 seed for a first-round bye.
As for the Tigers’ first-round opponent, Dinich sees Clemson taking on the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in December. The winner of that game would then face the No. 2 seed, which Dinich projects as the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the Rose Bowl.
Per Dinich:
“Clemson is on track to face Miami in the ACC championship game, but in this scenario, the Tigers are the projected runner-up. According to ESPN Analytics, Miami has a 39.9% percent chance to finish as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions and earn a first-round bye, which is the third-best chance at a bye in the country, behind Ohio State and Texas. Clemson is No. 6 with a 21.2 % percent chance. In this scenario, Tennessee is finishing as the committee’s fourth-best SEC team.”
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Clemson and Tennessee have met a handful of times over the years, most recently in the 2022 Orange Bowl (a 31-14 Vols victory). The Vols were one of two top-5 teams that lost over the weekend, falling 19-14 at Arkansas. The previously top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide also lost, 40-35 at Vanderbilt.
Clemson is ranked No. 10 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll and will face unranked Wake Forest this Saturday at noon ET in Winston-Salem. The game can be seen on ESPN.
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