What Clemson's ACC Championship Game Win Means For Alabama's CFP Hopes

Did the Tigers victory bump the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff field?

Dec 7, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney during the second quarter against the Southern Methodist Mustangs in the 2024 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The No. 11 Alabama football program didn't play a game on conference championship weekend meaning Crimson Tide fans had to sit and watch the action around the country and hope circumstances broke in their favor with the College Football Playoff's selection Sunday looming.

The Crimson Tide entered the weekend as the last team in the field with the assurances from the committee that Miami, Ole Miss and South Carolina were set in stone behind Alabama, leaving the field nearly set.

The ACC Championship Game between No. 17 Clemson and No. 8 SMU becomes the only question mark entering Sunday's proceedings. The Tigers upset the Mustangs 34-31 to earn the conference's automatic berth in the playoff field, creating questions surrounding SMU's fate.

The SMU Mustangs managed 11 wins against the No. 75 strength of going undefeated in conference play and won those eight ACC games by an average of 19.4 points. The ACC newcomers only lost to BYU in Week 3 18-17, but don't have a single win over a ranked opponent.

The Dec. 3 edition of the College Football Playoffs gives us this draw. pic.twitter.com/wJ43FyTkWi

— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) December 4, 2024

The Mustangs erased a 17-point halftime deficit to tie the game at 31 with 16-seconds left in the game, however the Tigers marched the field and Nolan Hauser nailed a 56-yard field goal to put Clemson into the College Football Playoff.

Will the Crimson Tide be in on Sunday?

The Mustangs played well in the conference championship, but weren't able to claim victory. The committee already showed last week that it would consider Alabama's resume, despite the three losses, stronger than that of Miami. Will the committee now punish the Mustangs after losing the ACC Championship as they're now 0-2 against ranked opponents in 2024?

The selection committee has clearly stated the criteria for selection is as follows:

Selection Sequence

The committee will adhere to the following sequence:
• Rank the teams 1-25.
• Identify the conference champions that will be seeded Nos. 1 through 4 and receive byes.
• Seed the remainder of the field.
• Assign the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds to Playoff Quarterfinal games in sequential order by ranking as noted herein. The No. 4 seed will play in the remaining Playoff Quarterfinal game.
• Assign the group containing the No. 1 seed to the Playoff Semifinal game as noted herein.
• Assign the No. 2 seed’s group to the other Playoff Semifinal game.
• Place Seed Nos. 5 through 12 in the bracket per the policies herein.
There will be no reseeding after any round of the CFP.

CFP Principles

• Strength of schedule,
• Head-to-head competition,
• Comparative outcomes of common opponents (without incenting margin of victory), and,
• Other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.