After a season-opening loss to Georgia, many pundits believed that Clemson’s playoff hopes were done before the season really got going. However, Dabo Swinney’s squad brushed itself off and ripped off six consecutive wins to get right back in the thick of the ACC race. Then came Saturday…
Louisville’s 33-21 win at Memorial Stadium may have been a blow from which Clemson can’t recover. And the initial installment of the College Football Playoff rankings illustrates just how tough it’s going to be for the Tigers to get off the canvas and reach the twelve-team postseason.
ESPN released the first version of the prospective playoff map on “Election Night” and the Tigers didn’t have a whole lot of votes. Clemson is ranked 23rd, just behind the Cardinals, who check in at #22. Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, and Texas are the top five.
Because the top four seeds must be conference champions under the new CFP format, Oregon (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC), Miami (ACC), and BYU (Big 12) would receive first-round byes if the initial rankings were used for the 12-team bracket.
Penn State, Tennessee, Indiana, BYU, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Boise State round out the top 12, which would compete in the newly expanded playoff at season’s end.
The first-round games would look like this: Boise State at Ohio State, Alabama at Texas, Notre Dame at Penn State, and Indiana at Tennessee.
The four first-round games will be played at the higher-seeded teams’ home campus on Dec. 20-21. The four quarterfinal contests will be played at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
The two semifinal games will take place at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Jan. 9-10.
The CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T is scheduled for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
College Football Playoff rankings — Nov. 5th
| Record | |
| 1. Oregon | 9-0 |
| 2. Ohio St. | 7-1 |
| 3. Georgia | 7-1 |
| 4. Miami | 9-0 |
| 5. Texas | 7-1 |
| 6. Penn St. | 7-1 |
| 7. Tennessee | 7-1 |
| 8. Indiana | 9-0 |
| 9. BYU | 8-0 |
| 10. Notre Dame | 7-1 |
| 11. Alabama | 6-2 |
| 12. Boise St. | 7-1 |
| 13. SMU | 8-1 |
| 14. Texas A&M | 7-2 |
| 15. LSU | 6-2 |
| 16. Ole Miss | 7-2 |
| 17. Iowa St. | 7-1 |
| 18. Pittsburgh | 7-1 |
| 19. Kansas St. | 7-2 |
| 20. Colorado | 6-2 |
| 21. Washington St. | 7-1 |
| 22. Louisville | 6-3 |
| 23. Clemson | 6-2 |
| 24. Missouri | 6-2 |
| 25. Army | 8-0 |