ESPN, CBS analysts lay out Clemson's Playoff path with two games to go

Clemson needs to play well and some help around it to return to the Playoff from the No. 8 spot currently.

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Nov 23 13:32:03 GMT-04:00 2022

Clemson looks to break new ground in the College Football Playoff.

No team has come from No. 8, where the Tigers were slotted Tuesday night, to the CFP this late in the season, but Dabo Swinney's Clemson team seeks to do just that starting with facing rival South Carolina on Saturday (noon/ABC).

ESPN put together scenarios for all of the top contenders going into the final two weekends of action, including the Tigers:

"Clemson's win against No. 16 Florida State continues to help the Tigers, and North Carolina dropped only four spots after its dreadful loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday. It also helped Clemson that Louisville popped into the ranking this week at No. 25. Clemson could finish the season with three wins against CFP Top 25 teams but will be dinged by the committee for its 35-14 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend. If Clemson finishes in the top four, that 21-point deficit would be the third-largest regular-season loss by a CFP semifinalist. The loss to Notre Dame, though, could be one factor that keeps the Tigers out because the committee also compares common opponents, and USC and Ohio State also will have played Notre Dame. In order to have a realistic chance, Clemson needs to run the table and hope for some combination or all of the following: a TCU loss, Georgia to run the table and win the SEC, and a two-loss Pac-12 champion."

The same piece did make some interesting comparisons, including one that pointed out a better resume for the Tigers compared to Southern Cal currently. What's maybe more interesting is the comparison between this Clemson team and a recent national champion.

Team A: 10-1, 5-1 vs. FPI top 50, 36.5 points per game and 19.7 points per game allowed vs. FBS foes, 48.7% offensive success rate vs. FBS, 62.7% defensive success rate, five wins by more than a touchdown.

Team B: 10-1, 5-1 vs. FPI top 50, 34.7 points per game and 20.8 points per game allowed vs. FBS foes, 47.2% offensive success rate vs. FBS, 62.6% defensive success rate, seven wins by more than a touchdown

Who's been the more impressive team? Maybe a slight edge for Team A, but both pretty evenly matched, right? Well, Team B is this year's Clemson team. Team A is Clemson through 11 games in 2016, when the Tigers went on to win a national championship.

Clemson might not be great at anything at the moment, but it's pretty good at nearly everything. And Clemson's loss might look ugly, but when the Tigers have avoided turnovers, they've handled their competition with ease.

CBS senior writer Dennis Dodd offered his assessment of the contenders as well.

"Clemson, along with USC, was the biggest beneficiary of the Tennessee loss," Dodd said. "It also has probably the weakest resume if the competition for the last CFP spot is TCU and USC. The Tigers' best path to a seventh CFP spot in eight years is to win out. That is a must. Then, a Georgia loss, an Ohio State win, and losses by either (or both) TCU and USC. If it comes down to it the Notre Dame loss...looks 'better.' But a win over No. 17 North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game looks 'worse' after the Tar Heels' loss to Georgia Tech."