Clemson Tigers No Longer Control Own Destiny for College Football Playoff

The Clemson Tigers are going to need some help if they have any chance of earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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

The Clemson Tigers' winning streak of six games came to a screeching halt in Week 10 with their loss to the Louisville Cardinals.

The Cardinals went into Death Valley and picked up an impressive 33-21 win, knocking the Tigers down from No. 11 to No. 23 in the rankings. Clemson was able to get back on track a little bit in Week 11, heading on the road and defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies in the always difficult Lane Stadium, 24-14.

With a 7-2 record and ranked No. 20 in the country, they remain on the outside looking in of the College Football Playoff. A glimmer of hope was provided when the Miami Hurricanes lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last weekend, but more help will be needed.

Unfortunately, Clemson will likely be relying on ACC tiebreakers for a spot in the championship game, in which the victor receives an automatic bid into the College Football Playoff.

Right now, the Tigers are in a tie for second place in the conference with the Hurricanes. Ahead of them in first place is the SMU Mustangs, who remain undefeated in their first season as a member of the ACC.

Because that trio of teams won’t face off in the regular season, “the winning percentage of common opponents will be used as the tiebreaker, followed by the winning percentage of each team’s conference opponents,” per Morgan Moriarty of Bleacher Report.

“SMU still has to play Boston College, Virginia and Cal. Clemson has to play at Pitt, The Citadel and South Carolina. Whoever makes it to the ACC title game obviously is in a win and you're in scenario. But there is the real potential for one of these teams to be left sitting at home on conference championship Saturday and not getting a bid, depending on how they end the regular season,” the college football writer added.

This is a tough situation for Dabo Swinney and company to be in, as they no longer control their own destiny. Their potential path to the CFP lies in the conference tiebreakers and other teams picking up upset victories over the final few weeks of the season.

If Miami loses another game or SMU is defeated twice, and the Tigers handle business against the Panthers this weekend, they will have punched their ticket to the ACC Championship with a CFP spot up for grabs.

Easier said than done, but at least there is a path, albeit one they have very little control over.