Clemson Tigers Will Need Help To Navigate Tough Path to College Football Playoff

The Clemson Tigers' path to the College Football Playoff is a windy one requiring some help.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts after people in the stands threw water bottles on the field after a call in favor of the Louisville Cardinals Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers were rolling heading into their matchup against the Louisville Cardinals in Week 10.

Riding a six-game winning streak, as long as they continued handling business, they had the inside track to an ACC Championship berth and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff. Alas, those plans were blown to smithereens by the Cardinals.

Louisville went into Death Valley and handed Clemson their first loss since August 31st in the season opener against the Georgia Bulldogs. It sent them plummeting down the rankings, as they are now No. 23 in the country.

Now 6-2 on the season, their hopes of claiming a spot in the championship have been altered drastically. They no longer control their own destiny, as they are going to need a lot of help to achieve their goal of playing in the playoffs.

At the very least, they cannot lose another game. The Tigers need to handle business against the Virginia Tech Hokies, Pittsburgh Panthers, The Citadel Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks.

Another loss in the conference would all but eliminate them from the title picture, especially if it were to be against Pitt. Falling to The Citadel or South Carolina would put an end to their at-large hopes as well.

In addition to not dropping a game, Clemson needs the SMU Mustangs to suffer a second ACC loss before the end of the season. They are playing the Boston College Eagles, Virginia Cavaliers and California Golden Bears.

Then there is the issue with the ACC tiebreakers that could come into play, as shared by Morgan Moriarty of Bleacher Report.

“The other caveat here? The ACC's method for tiebreakers. If all teams are tied in conference play at the end of the regular season, the deciding factor per conference rules is the winning percentage of each team's ACC opponents in conference games.”

That doesn’t bode well for the Tigers, either. Five of their ACC opponents currently are .500 or worse in the conference. A sixth, Virginia Tech, would fall to .500 if Clemson can defeat them this upcoming weekend.

While a path does exist for Dabo Swinney and company, it is not a clear one. They need a lot of help from other ACC teams to even have a chance to compete for a spot in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.