Tuesday Top-5: Teams that Could Derail Clemson's Playoff Hopes in 2021

The Clemson Tigers are prohibitive favorites to make it seven ACC titles in a row, but that doesn't mean there aren't any roadblocks along the way that could keep them out of the CFP.

Now that 2020 and that bizarre set up for a season are over, let's get back to some normalcy with a question people ask every single offseason: Can Clemson make the College Football Playoff with a loss?

Obviously, last year was different. The Tigers got a chance to play Notre Dame twice and avenge their regular-season loss with a win in the ACC title game, which propelled the program to its sixth consecutive CFP berth. 

But it's not like Clemson will be afforded a mulligan every season. The ACC as a whole still isn't very strong, and there's not a true power struggle at the top of the league. The Tigers are prohibitive favorites to make it seven ACC titles in a row, but that doesn't mean there aren't any roadblocks along the way. 

With 2021 schedules out, here are five teams standing in front of Clemson and the playoff this fall:

1. Georgia Bulldogs: It could be argued that the Tigers could drop the Sept. 4 opener to the SEC East powerhouse, still win the ACC and cruise into the CFP once again. However, if the ACC takes a turn for the worse and produces a very lackluster season, the only top-level team that the playoff committee could compare the Tigers to and use to justify having them in the top-4 would be the Bulldogs. A loss in the only big game of the season could leave the committee searching for another representative. Also, that representative could even be Georgia if the Bulldogs lose the SEC Championship Game and finish 12-1 with a win over the Tigers. Who's getting in then?

2. North Carolina Tar Heels: Mack Brown's squad isn't on the schedule in 2021, unless you look past the regular season to the Atlantic-Coastal showdown in Charlotte. The Tar Heels should enter the season as the favorite to claim that division with quarterback Sam Howell returning. Sure, UNC lost some key weapons around him and on defense, but most of those players also missed the Orange Bowl, when the Heels played Texas A&M well for three quarters. It takes a really good QB and offense to beat Clemson, as we've seen the last two years, and Howell has already thrown nearly 70 touchdowns in his young career. The last time these two played it was a barnburner.

3. Miami Hurricanes: Here's another team from the Coastal Division that could make some noise nationally if QB D'Eriq King returns healthy after suffering a knee injury at the end of 2020. The problem is, Miami was many steps behind the Tigers last season in a 42-17 loss at Memorial Stadium. But the Hurricanes have shown signs of life and improvement after two years under Manny Diaz, so Year 3 might be when a lean toward obtaining NCAA transfer portal players pays off. This matchup would also have to come in Charlotte, so Miami would have to hold off UNC, Virginia Tech and others to make it happen. 

4. N.C. State Wolfpack: Dave Doeren is back! Well, sort of. The Wolfpack are coming off an 8-win season, their fourth in eight seasons, and bounced back from a hideous 4-8 (1-7 ACC) campaign in 2019. Are they building something in Raleigh? Well, maybe, but don't get too far ahead quite yet. The schedule was N.C. State friendly a year ago. They didn't have to play Notre Dame or Clemson, but they did lose to both UNC and Miami. Still, things are looking up for an offense returning QB Devin Leary, who took huge steps forward last fall, and a solid running game. The reason this foe is included in a list of potential roadblocks is that the contest is played in Carter-Finley Stadium, a raucous atmosphere if filled to capacity, and it comes at a point in the schedule (Sept. 25) where the old "trap" word could come into play. 

5. Boston College Eagles: OK, so we're running out of options here and we have to get to five. Can BC really pull off an upset of this magnitude in its third consecutive trip to Death Valley? Well, don't forget how close they came in 2020. The Eagles led 28-13 at halftime in October with Trevor Lawrence out with COVID-19. They didn't score again and ended up losing 34-28, but head coach Jeff Hafley proved he can hang with the big boys, and with Phil Jurkovec back at QB and Zay Flowers making plays at WR, this could be a dangerous, hungry squad that felt like it left an opportunity on the field a year ago. Plus, this Oct. 2 game falls right before Clemson's open date, a time when the Tigers aren't always playing their best.