CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Breaking down one potential three-way ACC tiebreaker scenario for Clemson
Phil Mafah and the Tigers will be focused on handling business on their end of any potential ACC Championship tiebreaker.

Breaking down one potential three-way ACC tiebreaker scenario for Clemson


by - Correspondent -

The conference race is heating up.

Invitations for the party of the expanded playoff are drawing closer, and the ACC might have too many teams with an RSVP.

Heading into the final weeks of October, four teams in the conference hold an undefeated record. Clemson (5-0), Miami (3-0), SMU (3-0), and Pittsburgh (3-0) have all faired well within their ACC matchups.

However, this tiebreaker we’re tackling only concerns three teams, with Clemson and SMU both playing the Panthers, which may result in Pat Narduzzi’s squad being left out of the equation.

For the sake of hypotheticals, what would happen if that became a reality and both the Tigers and Mustangs took Pittsburgh out? Let's also picture a December where the Tigers, Canes, and Mustangs all finish 8-0 in ACC play.

In this scenario, the ACC will use the combined win percentage of conference opponents to determine who will play in Charlotte in early December. This win percentage is specific to each team's record in conference play, not their overall record.

To determine right now who will receive the bids to play in the ACC Championship, let’s take a look at the teams these programs have faced and who they will see soon.

From there, we can take the win percentage of those schedules and determine who would play in the title game now, and who fans may have to start pulling for to flip the odds.

CLEMSON TIGERS

North Carolina State (4-4, 1-3 ACC) .250

Stanford (2-5, 1-3 ACC) .250

Florida State (1-6, 1-5 ACC) .167

Wake Forest (3-4, 1-2 ACC) .333

Virginia (4-3, 2-2 ACC) .500

LEFT TO PLAY

Louisville (4-3, 2-2 ACC) .500

Virginia Tech (4-3, 2-1 ACC) .667

Pittsburgh (7-0, 3-0 ACC) 1.000

Combined Current Opponent ACC Win Percentage: .419

MIAMI HURRICANES

Virginia Tech (4-3, 2-1 ACC) .667

California (3-4, 0-4 ACC) .000

Louisville (4-3, 2-2 ACC) .500

LEFT TO PLAY

Florida State (1-6, 1-5 ACC) .167

Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) .667

Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2 ACC) .600

Wake Forest (3-4, 1-2 ACC) .333

Syracuse (5-2, 2-2 ACC) .500

Combined Current Opponent ACC Win Percentage: .406

SMU MUSTANGS

Florida State (1-6, 1-5 ACC) .167

Louisville (4-3, 2-2 ACC) .500

Stanford (2-5, 1-3 ACC) .250

LEFT TO PLAY

Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) .667

Pittsburgh (7-0, 3-0 ACC) 1.000

Boston College (4-3, 1-2 ACC) .333

Virginia (4-3, 2-2 ACC) .500

California (3-4, 0-4 ACC) .000

Combined Current Opponent ACC Win Percentage: .387

If this is the tiebreaking scenario the ACC has to use, Clemson is currently positioned best, followed by Miami and then SMU. Avoiding a currently winless California team doesn't hurt.

Despite the nailbiting scenario where someone with a calculator may decide the matchup in Charlotte, three 11+ win teams might be enough for multiple teams to secure a bid for the College Football Playoff.

Another factor is that Pittsburgh rolls into the mix and beats either SMU or Clemson, leaving out the need for a tiebreaking scenario.

Given the likelihood that Alabama stays with two losses or ends up with three, the dominoes in the SEC falling apart could be beneficial to a conference that has been without a representative in the big dance since 2020.

Much like the messaging has been inside the building for the open date, all of Clemson's goals are right in front of them. Maybe, the playoffs truly start in November. Win out, and you're likely in regardless of a trip to Charlotte.

As the playoff race continues to heat up, the Tigers may not be the only ones in their conference getting an invitation to dance with the best the country has to offer in December.

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