Clemson continues to strengthen Playoff at-large bid projections

Clemson either hosting and heading to Oregon for the Playoff? A number of projections are seeing just that currently.

by TigerNet Staff - Sep 29, 2024, 2:47 PM

Clemson continued to bolster its bid for Playoff positioning with a 40-14 win over Stanford on Saturday.

Dabo Swinney's Tigers are No. 9 in Heather Dinich's ESPN CFP ranking projection.

"The Tigers have outscored their opponents 165-69 during their three-game winning streak since losing the season opener to Georgia. The offense is clicking, with three straight games of at least 40 points. None of those three opponents, though, are ranked, and only NC State finished September above .500, thanks to wins against Western Carolina, Louisiana Tech and NIU," Dinich wrote.

Who does Dinich have Clemson playing in this scenario? None other than a first-round trip to Georgia for a season rematch. Knocking off Miami for the league crown could make the road easier with a first-round bye.

"Florida State won the preseason hype, but Miami and Clemson are winning the ACC race," said Dinich. "The Seminoles, who received a landslide 81 first-place votes in the preseason media poll, were eliminated with their 0-3 start that included losses to conference opponents Georgia Tech and Boston College. The Canes are undefeated, and Clemson has been on a tear since losing the season opener to Georgia. These teams don't play each other during the regular season but are on a collision course for the ACC championship game. According to ESPN Research, Miami and Clemson each have the highest percentages to reach the ACC title game, with both at least 42%. Louisville can still win the ACC and earn an automatic bid, but if the Cardinals are fighting for one of seven at-large spots, they'll lose the head-to-head tiebreaker now to Notre Dame."

In ESPN's postseason projections, both Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura pick a Clemson trip to Tennessee for the first round.

Ten out of 13 total ESPN predictions have Clemson in the field, as high as No. 7 and hosting Oregon in the first round.

247Sports predicts the other way around, with a Clemson trip to Oregon as a 10-seed.

"Remember that season-opening loss to Georgia in Atlanta? That feels like months ago for Dabo Swinney's team which destroyed every opponent since. Another multi-touchdown outing from Cade Klubnik shows the Tigers mean business in the ACC title race right behind Miami," said 247Sports' Brad Crawford.

CBS Sports projects the same, with the Tigers grabbing the last at-large spot.