The Clemson Tigers ended the month of September at 3-1 following three straight wins against Appalachian State, NC State and Stanford.
A lot of football is still ahead for the Tigers, but ESPN college football analyst Heather Dinich on Thursday listed Clemson as having the best chance to reach the College Football Playoff (subscription required) amid one-loss teams entering the month of October.
Per Dinich:
“First, the Tigers have a manageable schedule the rest of the way. Their toughest remaining game is against Louisville, and they’ve got home field advantage Nov. 2. Second, they have a great shot to win the ACC if they can sustain this offensive improvement, and the five highest ranked conference champs are guaranteed a spot in the playoff. Let’s add a third reason — the loss to Georgia (even as lopsided as it was), was still a neutral-site loss to what should be a top-10 team. Even though the Tigers might not face multiple ranked opponents, the committee will still respect road wins at Virginia Tech and Pitt, plus a win against SEC rival South Carolina. ESPN Analytics gives Clemson at least a 50% chance to win each of its remaining games. If that comes to fruition, its path to the playoff likely runs through Miami in the ACC title game.
RELATED: Clemson football surges in new ESPN SP+ rankings
Earlier this week, Dabo Swinney said that all eyes were on October after the Tigers closed September with a good month at home.
“Excited to move into October,” Swinney said at his weekly Tuesday press conference. “We had a good month here at home. That’s great for us, but you’ve got to go take it on the road. I tell them all the time: Good teams win at home, great teams win on the road. You’ve got to be able to execute when they’re not all cheering for you.”
Clemson will face the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium this Saturday in what will be their first true road game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.
Contact/Follow us @Clemson_Wire on X and on Facebook for ongoing Clemson Tigers news, notes, and opinions.