Clemson Tigers Are Squarely in the Mix for a College Football Playoff Spot

The Clemson Tigers have forced their way into the College Football Playoff projections with their stellar performance.

Sep 21, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney at Howard's Rock before kickoff against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers have bounced back in a major way in the last few weeks after a disastrous opener against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Following an embarrassing 34-3 loss, they have responded with some truly dominant performances. They are riding a three-game winning streak, scoring at least 40 points in all three games against Appalachian State, North Carolina State and Stanford.

At 3-1, they are heading into a matchup against Florida State that was presumed to be a massive one in the preseason. But, with the Seminoles being 1-4, this is now a must-win game for the Tigers if they want to have any hopes of making the College Football Playoff this season.

A loss to Florida State would crush their postseason hopes. It would give them zero room for error the rest of the way, as they are currently projected to be in a great spot.

As shared by Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN, Clemson is currently projected to be in the 12-team field by both bowl gurus. 

Both of them have the Tigers facing off with the Tennessee Volunteers; Bonagura has it as the No. 11 vs. No. 6 game, while Schlabach has it as the No. 10 vs. No. 7 matchup.

“I went with Clemson at No. 10 and Missouri at No. 11. I also considered Notre Dame, Iowa State, BYU and Michigan for the last couple of at-large spots. I went with UNLV over James Madison, Boise State and Liberty for the Group of 5 champion berth,” wrote Schlabach.

Based on the projections they shared, that means Clemson earned one of the at-large bids. The Miami Hurricanes received the automatic bid and bye into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals as the ACC Champions.

Bonagura and Schlabach both have the Hurricanes as the No. 3 seed in their respective field. They also don’t believe the Tigers would advance to the next round, with the Volunteers being projected as the victor in both of their fields.

Miami hosts Tennessee in the Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in Bonagura’s bracket. Schlabach has them traveling to the Rose Bowl to face off against the No. 2 seed Ohio State Buckeyes.

While there is still plenty of football left to be played, this is a good indicator of where the Tigers are through the first full month of the season. They weathered the early blowout by the Bulldogs and look like the second-best team in the ACC.

Their path to the CFP is pretty straightforward. Louisville is the only ranked team on their schedule, while Pittsburgh and Virginia are the only other ACC opponents with a winning overall record currently.