Clemson can clinch a Playoff spot with a conference championship in all likelihood, but it might have some work to do for overall recognition.
Clemson can clinch a Playoff spot with a conference championship in all likelihood, but it might have some work to do for overall recognition.

CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings


Brandon Rink Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer -

The first College Football Playoff rankings come next week, and the Tigers have one more opportunity to impress this Saturday, versus Louisville (7:30 p.m./ESPN), to start it strong.

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm projected how that initial ranking could look, and he believes the committee would have the Tigers lower than their spots in the traditional polls this week (No. 11 in AP/No. 8 in Coaches).

Palm says the committee would have Clemson at No. 14 going into the weekend.

"The Tigers are similar to Indiana except they have played Georgia and got their doors blown off. They have not had to break a sweat to win since, however. Perhaps Louisville will give them a test," Palm said.

Around Clemson, Palm projects Indiana at No. 13 and the highest-ranked Group of Five leader Boise State afterward (15).

By those rankings, the 12-team field would be Oregon (conference automatic bid), Georgia (conference auto bid), Miami (conference auto bid), BYU (conference auto bid), Penn State (at-large), Ohio State (at-large), Alabama (at-large), Texas (at-large), Iowa State (at-large), Notre Dame (at-large), Texas A&M (at-large) and Boise State (fifth conference auto bid).

As Palm lists, CFP rankings criteria include head-to-head meetings, strength of schedule, games against common opponents, results versus ranked opponents and conference championships. The difference when it comes to seeding the 12-team group is the Top 4 conference champs occupying the Top 4 seeds and one more conference champ being seeded according to their ranking after that.

Palm's assessment of where they are now does differ from his projection, however, which has Georgia on top, then Ohio State, Miami and Iowa State getting byes, followed by the at-large/G5 auto bid spots of 5. Oregon hosting 12. Boise State, 6. Texas hosting 11. Clemson, 7. BYU hosting 10. Alabama and 8. Penn State hosting 9. Texas A&M. If they advanced out of Texas, the Tigers would face Miami in the Peach Bowl in that scenario.

The first CFP rankings show is 7 p.m. next Tuesday on ESPN. It will run each Tuesday up to a final CFP rankings to determine the 12-team field after the conference championship games on December 8.

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Subject (Replies: 44) Author
spacer TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
TigerNet News®
spacer Stopped reading at "The Tigers are similar to Indiana ..."
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: Stopped reading at "The Tigers are similar to Indiana ..."
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer I just think the reporter confused Indiana with a football school.
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: I just think the reporter confused Indiana with a football school.
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Re: I just think the reporter confused Indiana with a football school.
Tobias27772
spacer Re: Stopped reading at "The Tigers are similar to Indiana ..."
Tobias27772
spacer I could agree with CBS but then we'd both be wrong!***
BigCUFan®
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
1965tiger
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
northernVAtiger
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer I stopped caring after reading 'The Tigers are similar to Indiana ..."
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
psquarelaw
spacer So, according to this ding dong
LemonTiger®
spacer A Northern Illinois team that is now 4-4...
BigCUFan®
spacer Re: So, according to this ding dong
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer The rules are different for Notre Dame.
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: The rules are different for Notre Dame.
tigered1®
spacer I amend my previous to read "Notre Dame and the SEC"
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: The rules are different for Notre Dame.
Dustyg
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
grrowl
spacer Margin of victory is not supposed to be a consideration...
BigCUFan®
spacer Re: Margin of victory is not supposed to be a consideration...
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Dabo Swinney seems to disagree with you.
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
CUTigerBrew
spacer Coot logic.
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: Coot logic.
6tiger9®
spacer (I meant the CBS hack is showing coot logic,
A1ASauce®
spacer thing is nd and bama have actually beaten
tgrfan42069
spacer Even CBS disagrees with you.
A1ASauce®
spacer are they saying that we are at 14 b/c they're projecting we'll lose another
El Tigre 1
spacer ok, just read it. it just this guys opinion. I thought this was initial comittee
El Tigre 1
spacer Win the ACC and nothing else matters.
A1ASauce®
spacer It's just one persons opinion...
BigCUFan®
spacer Re: are they saying that we are at 14 b/c they're projecting we'll lose another
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Re: TNET: CBS Sports projects Clemson outside Top 10 of first Playoff rankings
TigermanJ92
spacer No Tennessee there at all.....
clover65®
spacer Re: No Tennessee there at all.....
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Beating Bama = 4 ACC wins.
A1ASauce®
spacer Re: Beating Bama = 4 ACC wins.
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer And in kool-aid clogged sportswriter's minds ...
A1ASauce®
spacer rational isnt popular with many here
tgrfan42069
spacer Weird, clunky, pointless headline ...
mrmatt
spacer Re: Weird, clunky, pointless headline ...
djones73®
spacer True ****
mrmatt