Clemson Tigers Path to ACC Title Game Opens Up with Miami Loss on Saturday

The Atlantic Coast Conference is wide open after a recent upset win of the Miami Hurricanes.

Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The door has opened back up in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Clemson Tigers. 

On Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes fell to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 28-23. Now only one team, the SMU Mustangs, remains undefeated in the conference. 

Miami, who entered the weekend as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, struggled to keep a lead against Georgia Tech despite another banner day from star quarterback Cam Ward. The Hurricanes had no answer to the Yellow Jackets' running game as they allowed 273 in the contest. 

After last week's disappointing loss to the Louisville Cardinals, Clemson fell outside of contention for a spot in the ACC championship game. However, they now have a prime opportunity to steal their spot back. 

Clemson will not play Miami or SMU in the regular season, and neither team will face off before the championship game arrives. However, Miami would still technically hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers, as they defeated Louisville earlier this season. The team will also have to hold off the Pittsburgh Panthers, who have only one loss inside the conference this season. 

Down the stretch, it’s essentially a four-team race for the final two spots in the conference championship game. 

Earlier this week following the loss to Louisville, Coach Dabo Swinney knew that the Tigers still had a chance and that there was plenty of football left in the regular season. 

“As y’all all know, a lot can happen in college football, right? Just when you think you know, you don’t know. You just keep going. A lot can happen in college football. I’m not worried about any rankings. I haven’t been worried about any rankings. I’m just worried about trying to win the game that we got in front of us, and go from there.”

Regardless, Clemson will have to continue to win and win out if they want to have a shot at playing in the ACC title game this season. It is not the only route for the Tigers to the College Football Playoffs however, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), they have a 12.2 percent chance of battling for a national championship. 

Clemson must perform well this afternoon at Lane Stadium as it takes on the Virginia Tech Hokies in an ACC showdown. The kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.