Clemson is not in the driver’s seat on the road to the ACC Championship or College Football Playoff. They are still in both races though and could steal a chance to compete for a championship this postseason. The Tigers are 7-1 in ACC competition tied for second place with Miami in the conference. It would feel better for Clemson to be more in control of its path to the ACC Championship. Especially now that no more conference games are left on its regular season schedule. The important thing for the Tigers is that they are still in a position to get there.
Clemson Needs Strong Finish to Keep Championship Hopes Alive
Overall, Clemson is 8-2 and ranked 17th in the latest CFP poll. So, even if the Tigers do not make it to the ACC Championship game, there is a potential path to the playoff. Whether it is for an ACC Championship or CFP berth Clemson is going to need some help getting in. If Dabo Swinney’s team takes care of business in the last two games, they could keep themselves in the conversation down to the wire.
Who’s Left
Clemson has two games remaining on the regular season schedule. Both matchups are against in-state, non-conference opponents. First is the Tigers’ opponent this weekend The Citadel, out of the FCS Southern Conference.
The Citadel is a military college located in Charleston, South Carolina. Like other military colleges, the Bulldogs run a variation of the triple option offense. The Citadel more specifically runs more spread options with lots of built-in RPO plays. This offense for the Bulldogs averages 22.2 points a game and 313.7 yards per game. They are 5-6 overall and 3-5 in conference play coming into this game against Clemson. This is much improved from The Citadel’s 0-11 finish in 2023. The matchup with the Tigers this weekend will be the Bulldogs’ first game against an FBS Power Conference opponent since their last meeting with Clemson in 2020.
After playing The Citadel, the Tigers will prepare to take on in-state rival South Carolina. This year’s Palmetto Bowl is going to have higher stakes than in the past few seasons. Playoff implications could be on the line in the meeting this year with both teams currently in the top 20. Clemson has to complete the task this week first though and not overlook the athletic Citadel team entering Death Valley on Saturday.
What the Tigers Need
If the Tigers want to compete for championships this postseason the first thing they must do is keep winning. Against the Citadel they need a completely dominating performance from the first kick to the last play. Clemson has to look like a top-12 team playing inferior competition. A repeat of the first half against Appalachian State, but for all four quarters needs to happen.
Following that, the Tigers then need to get a big win against South Carolina. Every win for the Tigers against the Gamecocks is important to the fan base, but this year’s matchup means a bit more. Beating a top-20-ranked team will look great on the Tigers’ resume. If Clemson can finish the season strong, they will be in the conversation for a potential 11th or 12th seed. Teams losing in conference championship games or suffering upsets to finish the season will help.
What would help the Tigers the most is another Miami loss. This could be either in the regular season or the ACC Championship game. If the Hurricanes lose one of their last two regular season games, Clemson goes to Charlotte and can win an automatic bid to the CFP.
Even if Miami does win out and plays SMU in the ACC Championship, a loss in that game could knock the Canes out of playoff contention. That does not necessarily mean Clemson makes it into the playoffs, but the Tigers’ resume would be better than Miami’s. Clemson would have a top 20 win in its resume while the Canes would not have a win against a ranked team.
If teams such as Indiana, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, or even Texas slip to end the season Clemson may sneak in with a 10-2 finish. The Tigers may not be in the exact position they would like to be in right now, but they are still in place to keep their championship hopes alive.
