College Football Playoff Hopes Rest on 'Miracle' for Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers are a team that needs a "miracle" to get into the College Football Playoff.

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts to a Tigers penalty against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers were hoping that they could make a run at the College Football Playoff this season.

After a brutal start to the season with a blowout loss against the Georgia Bulldogs, Clemson was able to win six straight games and started looking like a team that could make a push. Unfortunately, their hot play came to a halt.

Their loss to the Louisville Cardinals was one that likely knocked them out of contention to get into the playoffs.

Since that loss, the Tigers have been able to rebound with two straight wins.

In their last two games, they'll have an opportunity to keep themselves alive. A win over currently No. 16 ranked South Carolina in the final game of the year would be huge to keep themselves in the hunt.

That being said, even if they do win their last two games, they will need a lot of help to get in.

Andrew Boardwine of Saturday Blitz took a look at teams who will need a "miracle" to get into the College Football Playoff. Clemson was firmly on that list.

"Here are the scenarios that get Clemson to the ACC Championship game: Miami loses to either Wake Forest or Syracuse, SMU loses to both Virginia and California, SMU loses to Virginia, Louisville loses to Pittsburgh, Virginia beats Virginia Tech. These are the only three scenarios that result in Clemson playing for the ACC Championship. Tiger fans still can have a small glimmer of hope for chaos in front of them resulting in an at-large bid, but let's be honest, it's going to be really hard for Clemson to get in, even over a 9-3 SEC team with at-large bids already at a premium."

While there is still a chance that the Tigers could find their way into the hunt, it's extremely unlikely.

First and foremost, Clemson needs to take care of business over the next two games. Crazier things have happened than the scenarios that are listed above.

Even though it's disappointing that the Tigers likely won't get into the dance, there are reasons for optimism about the future. Clemson has a lot of quality young pieces on its roster and have more talent on the way.

There is a lot of work to do, but the Tigers have taken a big step in the right direction this year. Now, they simply need to finish out the year with two more wins and give themselves a shot.