Clemson Tigers Will Need Some Help Getting to College Football Playoffs

After losing this past week to the Louisville Cardinals, the Clemson Tigers no longer have an easy path to the new 12-team College Football Playoffs.

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The Clemson Tigers no longer control their own destiny when it comes to making the ACC title game or, most importantly, the College Football Playoffs.

After its disappointing loss to the Louisville Cardinals this past Saturday, the program is no longer in the driver's seat based on its remaining schedule. 

 According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), the model only has the Tigers with a 2.4 percent chance of winning the ACC. 

The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. Rating results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.

Although the team only has one loss in the conference after the 33-21 defeat to Louisville, the Tigers do not play either of the two other ACC contenders the rest of the way. Both Miami Hurricanes and conference newcomer SMU Mustangs remain undefeated in ACC play. Not only does Clemson not play either of these two front-runners, but they do not face off against each other as well for the rest of the regular season. 

The best the Tigers can do is keep winning.

Before last week’s flat performance against the Cardinals, Clemson only played one bad half of a football game all season, coming in the opener against the Georgia Bulldogs. After failing to hold the reigning National Champions in the second half and falling to an early 0-1 start on the year, the Tigers bounced back and won six straight games, including their first five ACC matchups.

With only two more conference showdowns on the schedule, plus two non-conference games, Clemson has a 24.1 percent chance of winning its remaining games. 

The biggest test for them remaining will be against the 23rd-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers in two weeks. If they can win both remaining ACC games, they will have to patiently wait for the possibility of either Miami or SMU to fall in order to get back into the ACC title game. 

If that scenario doesn’t come to life, the Tigers will still have a small chance at reaching the College Football Playoffs as an at-large bid, assuming they win all four remaining games and post a 10-2 resume for the committee. The model currently suggests a 7.3 percent chance of making the playoffs, but that also counts for the possibility of winning the ACC. Mathematically, the chances of making it without contending for the conference championship are less than five percent. 

So they need some help, but that help will mean nothing if they lose another game down the stretch. They will be back in action this Saturday as they travel to Lane Stadium to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. It will be no easy task as they are looking to pick up their sixth win of the season and become bowl-eligible for the second straight season.