While Clemson (10-1, 8-0 ACC) moved up one spot from No. 9 to No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night, the Tigers still stayed one spot behind Alabama (9-2, 5-2 SEC), which moved up from No. 8 to No. 7.
However, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t think the fact Clemson is behind Alabama matters right now, and that the Tigers would ultimately jump ahead of the Crimson Tide if they beat South Carolina this Saturday and then win the ACC Championship Game vs. North Carolina (now No. 17 in the latest CFP rankings) on Dec. 3.
“I don’t think it matters where Alabama and Clemson are because of that opportunity (for Clemson) to get to Charlotte and win a conference championship,” Herbstreit said on ESPN’s College Football Playoff: Top 25 show.
“You guys keep alluding to it, all of a sudden they’re playing a hot South Carolina team. You get the ACC Championship, I think no matter what, whether they’re ahead of Alabama or behind, I think they’d go by them.”
Herbstreit was later asked what the Tigers do well, in his eyes, that makes them look like a playoff-caliber team.
“Defense, run the football with (Will) Shipley,” he said. “DJ (Uiagalelei)’s up and down. I don’t know if you can really hang your hat right now on their ability to throw the football if teams are able to match up with their run game. But they do play great defense, which keeps them in almost every game they play. They’ve got a defensive line, when they’re all healthy and able to play, they can take over football games.
“So, I think if you’re going to say what do they do where just a football judgement, for me that’s what it would be — trying to get Shipley going and trying to be able to play great defense and hope that DJ is on that day. Because when he’s on, guys, he can still be very effective with some of the receivers that they have.”
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