Updated ESPN Playoff projections, rankings for Clemson after wild weekend |
The chaotic Saturday in college football has Clemson looking good.
ESPN has Clemson No. 9 overall if the Playoff rankings were unveiled today, after a weekend that saw the Tigers improve to 4-1 and a slew of top-ranked teams upset. In a 13-person ESPN panel, Chris Low bumps the Tigers into the ACC auto bid with the No. 3 overall spot, while there's unanimity overall for the first time in having Clemson in the CFP field as at least an at-large. 247Sports joins Low in a Clemson ACC title pick for a No. 3 seed versus Oregon in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal. Elsewhere, CBS Sports picks a Clemson-Georgia rematch in Athens for the CFP first round. Heather Dinich has the Tigers as her No. 4 one-loss team currently, trailing an SEC trio of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. "Since losing its season opener to Georgia, Clemson has reeled off four straight wins in convincing fashion, including its first true road win Saturday at Florida State," Dinich said. "While other contenders have suffered upsets and struggled to find consistency, the Tigers are improving every week and the offense seems to have found its groove while the defense remains one of the best in the country. While the season-opening loss to the Bulldogs was lopsided, it remains a loss to a top-five contender, which will lessen the blow a bit in the committee meeting room." Clemson's schedule ahead is of some concern to Dinich, however, if it doesn't take care of business. "If Louisville falls out of the Top 25 after its loss to SMU, Clemson might not have any regular-season wins against ranked opponents this season (maybe Pitt sneaks in?). If Clemson doesn't win the ACC, that will be a part of the discussion in the committee meeting room -- unless the Tigers continue to dominate their opponents and leave no doubt they're a playoff team in spite of being in a weak league," Dinich said. Her full Top 12 projection is Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State, Oregon, Miami, Clemson, Ole Miss, BYU and Boise State. That produces a projected trip to Penn State for the Tigers in the first round of the CFP. Four Top 10 teams lost on Saturday, with previous No. 1 Alabama at Vandy (40-35), No. 4 Tennessee at Arkansas (19-14), No. 9 Missouri at Texas A&M (41-10) and No. 10 Michigan at Washington (27-17). No. 8 Miami narrowly escaped defeat at Cal, 39-38, and No. 11 USC also lost at Minnesota (24-17).
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