Tag: College Football Playoff 2024

Clemson football is currently on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff field, but head coach Dabo Swinney is making a pretty clear case for why the Tigers belong inside.

At 9-2, Clemson boasts seven wins against Power 5 opponents, six of which came by double digits—a mark tied for first in the country. Swinney praised his team’s resilience and challenging schedule, including facing No. 1 Georgia to open the season. While that loss could hurt their résumé, Swinney defended the choice to play tough opponents, saying, “We could’ve played XYZ Group of 5 University, and now we’re sitting here instead of 9-2, we’re 10-1, and you’re having a different conversation, right?”

Swinney, confident of his unit’s ability to hold against anyone, did not shy from stating, “We’re a good football team. We’re not perfect. We’re flawed like everybody else, but we’re a team that I think can play with anybody in the country.” His standout performances only helped his pitch: Strong play from quarterback Cade Klubnik and linebacker Barrett Carter , who was a finalist for the Butkus Award. Looking ahead to Saturday’s game with South Carolina, Swinney called it a critical “playoff game” for both teams.

“When we go win this game and we’re 10-2, I don’t see how you can’t put us in.” For Clemson to make the CFP, it must first defeat South Carolina and then hope Miami loses at home to Syracuse to advance to the ACC Championship Game. A conference title would ensure Clemson one of the playoff’s five automatic berths. Reflecting on Clemson’s place in the national landscape, Swinney said, “We’ve been on the ‘rest of y’all’ team forever. but guess what? Check our records.

Versus all of them.” He added, “What’s been demonstrated is that if you do earn it, you’ll get the opportunity.” While Swinney is clear that Clemson’s postseason hopes depend on earning a victory this weekend, he remains optimistic about the Tigers’ credentials. “This is a Top 15 matchup, and it would be one of the best wins in the country, on anybody’s résumé, when you look at it,” he said. The blueprint for the future is fairly simple: win Saturday and, depending on how results shake out elsewhere, maybe secure a spot in the playoffs consistent with Clemson’s recent history.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers are one of the most intensely discussed teams in college football right now as their path to the College Football Playoff is clear, and possibly controversial. 

Clemson jumped from No. 23 in the first edition of the CFP rankings all the way up to No. 12 in the latest. At this point, a loss to South Carolina is a certain end to any hopes the Tigers have of making the playoff, but a win might make them undeniable as they jump up to the top twelve. 

USA TODAY Sports analyst Blake Toppmeyer believes Clemson is a team to watch closely down the stretch. 

Here comes little ol’ Clemson.

Two weeks ago, when a reporter asked Dabo Swinney to offer a pitch for his Tigers to make the College Football Playoff, the Clemson coach obliged, but his heart didn’t really seem in it.

Swinney offered some meandering rhetoric that amounted to: Why not Clemson?

The answer, at that time, was that Clemson’s résumé didn’t stack up with a number of at-large contenders ahead of it.

Since then, the SEC cannibalized itself.

Now that the College Football Playoff committee values Clemson ahead of three-loss SEC teams like Alabama and Mississippi, we must ask with a straight face: Why not Clemson?

If Clemson beats No. 15 South Carolina on Saturday, then the committee will be forced to strongly consider the Tigers’ credentials.

The SEC has made this thing absolutely wild. There’s no denying, there is SEC bias and how that will effect Clemson could be very interesting. If Clemson takes down South Carolina, the committee has a huge decision to make.

Will they want to add a three loss SEC team? Honestly, they probably do… but is Clemson undeniable if they take down South Carolina, especially if they do it emphatically? I don’t see how they wouldn’t be.

If Clemson handles business against the Gamecocks on Saturday, be prepared for some anarchy.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers shocked many as they recently climbed to No. 12 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

It has been nothing but chaos this year with he expansion to a 12-team playoff, as the field is wide open with multiple programs still fighting for their place to make a real run for a national championship. Clemson looks like a real contender after moving up to the top twelve, with USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg naming the Tigers a winner from these new rankings.

Ignored as a serious contender for weeks following an ugly loss to Louisville, Clemson is a legitimate at-large player after rising to No. 12, ahead of all the three-loss teams from the SEC. The Tigers’ biggest asset is a pretty dominant six-game winning streak after losing to Georgia. Other than that, though, they have just one win against a team with a winning record in Pittsburgh. Clearly, this team has benefited from taking care of business since a loss to Louisville and allowing other contenders to fall off the map. Better yet, Clemson can add that much-needed marquee win this Saturday against No. 15 South Carolina, one of the fast risers in these rankings the past few weeks.

Clemson’s climb from No. 23 in the CFP rankings on Nov. 5 highlights a strong late-season push fueled by a three-game win streak after an early upset by Louisville. Battling teams like Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tennessee for a playoff spot, Clemson ranks 12th in game control and 18th in strength of record but struggles with a 57th-ranked strength of schedule. Saturday’s rivalry game against South Carolina is pivotal, with playoff hopes potentially hinging on both a win and a Syracuse upset over Miami to secure an ACC Championship berth.