Clemson Tigers Barely Make Expert’s Next 12 Bracket for College Football Playoff

The Clemson Tigers are going to need a lot of help to climb back into College Football Playoff contention.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers were rolling heading into their matchup against the Louisville Cardinals last week.

Winners in six straight games, they hadn’t lost since August 31st in their season opener against the Georgia Bulldogs. The path to a spot in the ACC Championship Game and a berth in the College Football Playoff was laid out.

Alas, the Cardinals had other plans.

Louisville's 33-21 upset victory in Week 10 put a massive damper on the Tigers' postseason hopes. The loss dropped them to No. 23 in the rankings and they are well on the outside looking in of the first College Football Playoff bracket.

Just how far away is Clemson from the playoffs? In a mailbag with Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, he was asked to list the first 12 out, similar to how March Madness in college basketball lists the first four and next four out during bubble watches.

The Tigers, who were an at-large team in many people’s eyes before the Cardinals' loss, are now the No. 11 seed in the next 12 out. That is quite a fall from grace, as they are going to need an incredible amount of help to have any shot at sniffing a spot in the CFP.

If they can survive their road test against the Virginia Tech Hokies in Week 11, their matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers in Week 12 is essentially an eliminator game.

Both teams have only one loss in the conference; it certainly looks as if anything more than that will keep you out of the title picture. Also, Pittsburgh is the No. 10 ranked team in the next 12 exercises.

Teams ahead of the Tigers are going to need to slip up for them to climb back into the picture. But, there are opportunities for them to boost their resume.

In their final game of the season, they will be hosting the South Carolina Gamecocks in Death Valley. Their SEC rivals are also ahead of them in the next 12 out bracket, earning a No. 7 seed from Mandel.

If Clemson handles business and finishes the regular season on a four-game winning streak, and the SMU Mustangs lose one of their final three games, a spot in the ACC Championship would be theirs.

Presumably, they would be facing off with the Miami Hurricanes in that scenario with a chance to earn their way into the playoff with a victory.