Clemson Tigers Drop Drastically in College Football Playoff Rankings After Loss

The Clemson Tigers dropped as expected in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Nov 30, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer talk after the game at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

It was a disappointing showing for the Clemson Tigers in Week 14, as they lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks in a Top-15 matchup. 

Rivalry week provided the Tigers with a golden opportunity to capture an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff with a win. Coming into the week, Clemson was ranked 12th in the CFP Rankings. Considering the quality of the opponent, a win would probably have been enough of a resume builder for the Tigers. 

However, with the loss, they dropped to 17th in a five spot drop from the week prior

While the drop in the rankings isn’t ideal, the Tigers are arguably in a better position now to make the CFP than they have been in recent weeks. Due to a Miami Hurricanes loss to the Syracuse Orange, Clemson now finds themselves in the ACC Championship Game against the SMU Mustangs with an automatic bid to the CFP on the line. 

In addition to playing for an automatic bid and a conference championship, winning the ACC could result in the Tigers getting a bye week depending on what happens in the other conferences. 

So, while the drop in the rankings is obviously not ideal for Clemson, it really doesn’t have too much of an impact on them. 

Now, they will be turning their full attention to winning their conference. It wasn’t very likely that they were going to reach this point with the Hurricanes being such a large favorite against the Orange. However, they have received a golden opportunity that they must take advantage of. 

After the dust settles, in the championship game, it will be interesting to see how many teams from the ACC make the CFP. It is very possible that just the winner of the conference championship will make the playoffs. 

For Clemson, they must not squander this opportunity against the Mustangs, as they have been given a second chance to make the CFP.