ESPN projects Clemson Playoff rank, opponent |
It's Selection Sunday and Clemson likely clinched a bid at No. 1 with a dominating 38-3 win over No. 7 Miami.
The Tigers would play in the Sugar Bowl come Jan. 1, but who would they face? An ESPN panel did their initial projections after championship Saturday wrapped up, where Oklahoma rolled TCU, Ohio State hung on to upset Wisconsin and Georgia upset Auburn. The hot debate up until the noon selection show will likely come between the new Big Ten champions and a team that didn't play Saturday, 11-1 Alabama, which was ranked No. 5 in the latest College Playoff rankings. ESPN SportsCenter had four early projections on that fourth spot, with three picking Ohio State and two, Alabama. Only one panelist had a team other than Clemson at No. 1, in Rece Davis, who picked a final four of Oklahoma, Clemson, Georgia and Alabama. Kirk Herbstreit did an extensive breakdown of the No. 4 debate, ultimately siding with the Buckeyes. "I've really struggled with this," Herbstreit said. "On paper, if you go by what the committee has, you could make a strong case for Ohio State. Their three wins in the top-16 are better than Bama's. Now they have a conference championship, but if you're watching them tonight - our game was over by two series so we were able to watch the whole game - I don't know if I can comfortably say they are better than Alabama. "The quarterback is not executing well. They're not able to take over a game...The committee is asked to give us the best four teams. (My picks for best would be) Clemson, No. 1, Oklahoma, No. 2, Georgia, No. 3 and if you go by most deserving, it's Ohio State, and if you go by who's better, it's Alabama. That's what the committee has to decide." ESPN's FiveThirtyEight projects a top-four of Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Ohio State having a 12 percent better chance than Alabama (40-28) to make the Sugar Bowl. ESPN CFP Projections Chris Fowler: 1. Clemson 2. Oklahoma 3. Georgia 4. Ohio State. Rece Davis: 1. Oklahoma 2. Clemson 3. Georgia 4. Alabama Booger McFarland: 1. Clemson 2. Oklahoma 3. Georgia 4. Alabama Kirk Herbstreit: 1. Clemson 2. Oklahoma 3. Georgia 4. Ohio State
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