Could the ACC be heading towards a chaotic finish? ESPN’s Greg McElroy sees it going that way.
On his Always College Football show, McElroy explored a tricky scenario involving Clemson, Miami, and SMU, all of whom remain undefeated in conference play. The twist? None of these teams face each other during the regular season, potentially setting up a complicated outcome.
“There is a possibility where you have a 12-0 Miami, and an 11-1 Clemson and SMU, with their only losses coming to out-of-conference opponents,” McElroy said. “Remember, Clemson lost to Georgia, SMU lost to BYU.”
McElroy looked further into each team’s odds: “Miami has a 30 percent chance to run the table. SMU has a 14.4 percent chance. Clemson has a 13.8 percent chance to run the table.”
The confusion lies with ACC tiebreaker rules, which McElroy finds unclear. “Now, I looked at the ACC tiebreakers, and I gotta be honest, they don’t make sense to me,” McElroy added. “If you can interpret it, please help me out because I don’t know.”
He suggested a situation where Miami wins the ACC, Clemson loses the conference championship, and SMU stays 11-1. “Imagine the fallout from that,” McElroy said, highlighting how the team that avoids a title game could benefit by not taking a second loss.
McElroy concluded, “It could be very dramatic. If you like drama, this might be the league for you.”