If Clemson Wants in CFP, it Needs to Start Impressing the Committee

Inconsistent offense, blowout loss to Notre Dame continue to haunt Tigers’ playoff chance

CLEMSON, S.C. — Though Boo Corrigan did not directly say it, his comments during Tuesday’s media teleconference tell us the College Football Playoff Committee is not overly impressed with the Clemson Tigers.

Clemson (10-1) came in No. 8 in this week’s CFP ranking, moving up one spot from No. 9. The Tigers, despite being 6-1 against teams with a winning record and having a 2-1 mark against opponents currently ranked in the CFP Top 25, are three spots behind a two-loss LSU team and one spot behind two-loss Alabama.

“(Clemson is) a really good football team,” Corrigan said. “We are trying to figure out what stands out for them. They have a really good defensive line. They are really good defensively with what they have done.

“They are 6-1 against teams that are over .500.”

But none of that seems to impress the committee enough to jump the Tigers ahead of No. 7 Alabama and a little closer to LSU. The Bayou Bengals lost to No. 16 Florida State to start the season and then got drilled, 40-13, at home to No. 10 Tennessee on Oct. 8.

However, LSU has since won five straight games, including home wins against No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 7 Alabama. They beat Ole Miss by 25 points.

Clemson has a road win over FSU and a second-ranked win over No. 25 Louisville, while it lost at No. 15 Notre Dame by 21 points.

But despite having two losses, one being to the Seminoles, and being blown out by Tennessee, Corrigan confirmed with his comments the committee is more impressed with LSU than Clemson at this point.

“But as we look at in the comparison to the Notre Dame loss in South Bend, 35-14, and how that game kind of went down, as each member of the committee who is watching it, studying it and looking at everything, came back with the conclusion that we saw LSU at five and Clemson at eight.”

Besides the 21-point loss at Notre Dame, another element hurting the Tigers is their lack of flash, especially on offense.

“Again, I know this can sound repetitive, but you are looking for something that makes them different, makes them standout,” Corrigan said. “In that respect, Coach Swinney has done a great job, again, this year with this team, but the committee views them as the No. 8 team.”

The committee favors Clemson’s defense, which last week held Miami to 98 total yards. They also like the dynamic style and play of running back Will Shipley.

“Will Shipley from Clemson is a dynamic player for them. I think they have maybe had some ups and downs in regard to the quarterback position that we’ve talked about in the room,” Corrigan said. “But again, a really good team that has had a really good year. Through week twelve, that is our evaluation.”

Clemson will try to impress the CFP Committee this Saturday when it hosts rival South Carolina at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon.

College Football Playoff Ranking -- Week 4

1. Georgia (11-0)
2. Ohio State (11-0)
3. Michigan (11-0)
4. TCU (11-0)
5. LSU (9-2)
6. USC (10-1)
7. Alabama (9-2)
8. Clemson (10-1)
9. Oregon (9-2)
10. Tennessee (9-2)
11. Penn State (9-2)
12. Kansas State (8-3)
13. Washington (9-2)
14. Utah (8-3)
15. Notre Dame (8-3)
16. Florida State (8-3)
17. North Carolina (9-2)
18. UCLA (8-3)
19. Tulane (9-2)
20. Ole Miss (8-3)
21. Oregon State (8-3)
22. UCF (8-3)
23. Texas (7-3)
24. Cincinnati (9-2)
25. Louisville (7-4)