ESPN personalities split on predicting Clemson's return to College Football Playoff

Could the ACC have two in the new CFP? ESPN's Rece Davis thinks so, with Clemson entering as the ACC champ with a bye.

by TigerNet Staff - Aug 14, 2024, 2:30 PM

The host of ESPN’s flagship college football preview show is high on the ACC’s chances to put multiple teams in the newly-expanded College Football Playoff.

College GameDay host Rece Davis has both Clemson, as an ACC champ and therefore a Top 4 seed in the new setup, and Florida State, as an at-large bid, making the 12-team field.

"I’m going to say the 3-seed and ACC champion – and reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated, and the rest of y'all going to come on in on the ROY bus and watch the Clemson Tigers come back to the playoff as the ACC champions,” Davis said. “I think Florida State wins the regular season game against Clemson because it’s in Tallahassee. Clemson wins the rematch because Clemson will be desperate to get in, and Florida State will already have a spot sealed up. I think both teams make the playoff.”

Davis is pushing his chips forward on the Clemson offense, which he admits is risky.

“I think Clemson with improved offense,” Davis said. “This is a little bit of a gamble too, because if they don’t get better quarterback play from Cade Klubnik and if they don’t get better offensive line play then they’ve really had in the last two years, this is gonna be another bad pick, but I'm gambling that you're going to see some improvement in both of those areas in the second year under Garrett Riley. They've got a lot of guys coming back on offense. Offensive line, they got four starters back. They got a wrecking ball at running back, Phil Mafah, and got some young wide receivers coming in that they're really high on. Wide receiver freshman called Bryant Wesco. TJ Moore another freshman guy. Tyler Brown back from last year and Antonio Wiliams returning from injury. Don't worry about their defense. Their defense is going to be excellent, especially up front.

“They’ll give Georgia all it wants. I think Georgia wins the game opening week, but they will give Georgia everything they want…”

In a college football conversation so transfer portal-centric nationally, Davis is already anticipating how Swinney will react to leading his team back to the CFP without a traditional portal addition.

“Can you imagine what happens if Clemson does what I predicted?” Davis asked. “Think of Dabo in the first College Football Playoff news conference. ‘Poor little ole Clemson got here and didn’t have any transfers.’...I think they’re loaded, man. The question is the offense. The question is quarterback and offensive line. Those skill guys, they need those freshmen. Those freshmen receivers particularly have to make plays downfield.”

He added that lost fumbles is key as well, needing the ball “riveted to the ribcage” this season.

Fellow podcast panelist and ESPN insider Pete Thamel is more skeptical.

“It’s kind of now or never for Cade Klubnik,” Thamel said. “I do feel like Garrett Riley was an improvement there, but I don’t think I’m sitting here telling you that he’s the second coming of his brother Lincoln (USC head coach). That’s all. I want to see more from them on offense. More from them schematically. Phil Mafah, great back, but I don’t love what they have behind him. They’re just OK.”

Thamel is picking FSU to win the ACC for the league’s one spot in his prediction.

“Part of the reason why FSU has emerged as the best recent program in the ACC because they have used the portal as a weapon,” Thamel said. “They had 10 players drafted, and how many were (from) the portal? Nine…That is great program management. Evaluation. Buy-in. Great culture. There’s nothing negative at Florida State. Florida State out-smarted everybody.”

The new CFP will feature a 12-team field with five spots for conference champions and seven for at-large bids. The Top 4 conference champs will occupy the Top 4 seeds and get a bye to the quarterfinals, which will be held at neutral sites. The first round will be played at seeds 5-8.