Clemson Tigers Hold Steady in College Football Playoff Week 7 Bubble Watch

The Clemson Tigers remain in position to earn a College Football Playoff berth in the Week 7 bubble watch.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Phil Mafah (7) runs up the field against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers kept things rolling in Week 6 when they went on the road for their first true road game of the season to face off against the Florida State Seminoles.

Coming into the year, this was a game that everyone had circled on the calendar. Both teams were expected to be in contention for not only the ACC Championship but a spot in the College Football Playoff.

To this point, only one of the teams has those aspirations still in 2024; the Tigers.

They picked up a 29-13 victory in Tallahassee, their fourth in a row to move them to 4-1 on the season and 3-0 in ACC play. Florida State drops to 1-5 on the season and 1-4 in conference.

With that win, Clemson remains squarely in the mix for a CFP spot at the end of the season. Right now, Heather Dinich of ESPN has them earning the No. 10 spot in the bracket in her Week 7 bubble watch.

That puts them in a matchup against the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers for a game that would be played in Knoxville. The winner of that matchup would advance to face the Ohio State Buckeyes, the current projected No. 2 seed.

“Clemson is on track to face Miami in the ACC championship game, but in this scenario, the Tigers are the projected runner-up. According to ESPN Analytics, Miami has a 39.9% chance to finish as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions and earn a first-round bye, which is the third-best chance at a bye in the country, behind Ohio State and Texas. Clemson is No. 6 with a 21.2% chance. In this scenario, Tennessee is finishing as the committee's fourth-best SEC team,” Dinich wrote.

That potential ACC Championship Game would determine who gets the first round. The Hurricanes and Tigers don’t play in the regular season, as the remaining schedule for Clemson shapes up well for them.

The Pittsburgh Panthers are currently the only ranked opponent left on their schedule. Virginia, Louisville and South Carolina are the only other teams with a .500 or better record.

If Dabo Swinney and company can handle business in the regular season and earn an ACC title berth, they would be a near shoo-in for a spot in the playoff. How far up the seeding they could go would be determined by the outcome of that game.