Clemson Named ‘Obvious Choice’ to Make CFP Out of ACC

Clemson has an opportunity to return to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks with players during August practice in Clemson, S.C. Friday August 2, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The ACC will look much different in 2024, which means that Clemson will face new challenges. Still one of the top conferences in college football, the ACC added Cal, Stanford, and SMU, three programs looking to prove they belong.

Adding those three teams to an already established conference should be intriguing. They'll be tough teams to beat, especially if a team plays them on the road.

Entering the year, there seem to be two favorites in the conference: Clemson and Florida State. After the College Football Playoff committee decided to keep Florida State out last season, they'll look to show them why they made a mistake.

The ACC, surprisingly, hasn't had a playoff team during the past four years. However, with a guaranteed bid due to the CFP's expansion to 12 teams, the winner of the ACC won't have to worry about that this time.

But with it being as elite of a conference as it is, having just one team make the playoffs would be viewed as a disappointment. Multiple teams have an opportunity to do so, but they'll have to prove that in the regular season.

So, who'll get in?

Andrea Adelson of ESPN previewed the ACC, writing that there's no clear-cut favorite but noted that Clemson is the "obvious choice."

"There is no clear-cut favorite in the ACC, so although its champion is guaranteed a berth, it's anyone's guess who that'll be. If history is any guide, however, Clemson or Florida State would be the obvious choice.

"The Tigers and Seminoles have won the league every year but one since 2011. Both have potentially elite defenses and some intriguing skill talent on offense, but both have big question marks at QB, with Cade Klubnik looking for growth after a shaky sophomore season at Clemson," Adelson wrote.

Cade Klubnik will likely be the reason why they do or don't make the CFP. If he can be the quarterback he was expected to be when Clemson landed him in high school, they'll have an excellent opportunity to do so.

In his first campaign as an every-game starter, he struggled in multiple ways at times. However, with the college football dynamic changing in a big way, and players being older than ever, it didn't come as a surprise that he had growing pains.

With a season under his belt, all signs point to him improving. He has all the tools to be what they need him to be, and if he is, the Tigers fan base will enjoy a trip to the expanded CFP.