With six teams ahead of Clemson football losing on Saturday, the now-No. 12 Tigers have an actual chance at an at-large College Football Playoff berth if they can take down No. 16 South Carolina this weekend. However, ESPN is pushing a narrative in favor of three-loss teams such as Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M over Clemson in this week’s upcoming CFP rankings.
Asked about this during his Sunday teleconference, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney downplayed the talk. “It does not matter if we do not win the [South Carolina] game,” he said. “We just need to go win this game this week. All this stuff will take care of itself.”
Swinney was a bit more pointed in an interview with the CBS Pre-game show on Saturday, citing perceived SEC and Big Ten favoritism. “We have been in four national championships, have won two, have the second most playoff wins, and have won eight league titles in twelve years,” he said. “We literally have an SEC Big Ten Invitational in college football.”
With its CFP stakes, Saturday’s 121st meeting between Clemson and South Carolina-coming in at 9-2 and 8-3, respectively-is being framed as one of the most significant in the rivalry. “We kind of need to lock in and win one more game and see what happens,” Swinney said. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN, with Clemson seeking a pivotal win entering Memorial Stadium.