Clemson Tigers Predicted to Climb CFP Rankings This Week After Win

The Clemson Tigers' rollercoaster season continues, and the next CFP rankings could see the team closer to contention.

Nov 9, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) goes up for a catch while being defended by Virginia Tech Hokies cornerback Dorian Strong (44) during the third quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images / Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

It has been a roller coaster of a season for the Clemson Tigers and veteran head coach Dabo Swinney, to say the absolute least.

From a Week One massacre at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs, to a six-game win streak, to a home loss to the Louisville Cardinals, the first loss to the Cardinals in Tigers' history, to another dominant win, many have been yelling "let me off!" for weeks.

There are three games left on Clemson's schedule, however, so the ride still has quite a ways to go, plus, with the Miami Hurricanes losing on Saturday, unable to replicate their come-from-behind magic for the umpteenth time this year, there is a slight possibility that the Tigers' season is even farther from being complete than we currently realize.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Austin Mock used his projection system to predict how the second rendition of the College Football Playoff rankings will shake out upon release tonight.

Last week, Mock's system projected 24 of the 25 teams on the rankings, so it seems to be a pretty accurate system.

For Clemson, who opened the College Football Playoff rankings in 23rd, Mock has the program jumping to 16th this week, an eight-spot increase, but one of the first five out if the playoffs started today.

As it stands, the Tigers will still need some help to get to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, but that does seem to be the most likely path to the playoffs for the team.

Everyone has bashed Clemson for their "weak" schedule all year long but has continued to give the Hurricanes and the SMU Mustangs the benefit of the doubt with their respective schedules.

In Mock's rankings, each team has their strength of schedule ranking listed, with the Tigers' strength of schedule falling at 47th, while Miami's sits 68th and the Mustangs' is 65th.

Those two teams' schedules do not get any harder down the stretch, either, though the Hurricanes have been playing with fire all year long needing come-from-behind wins to get the job done in nearly every game.

While Clemson does have more losses than either of the other two teams in contention from the ACC, their wins have been much more dominant than Miami's, but SMU did beat Louisville when those teams met and their matchup came in Kentucky.

The ACC's playoff race is certainly one of the more interesting in the sport, and there are still three weeks left before things become any clearer.