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Clemson Football: Could the Tigers see a Pac-12 opponent in 2019?

By Shawn Spencer

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 29: A painted "PAC 12" is shown here on the field before the Utah Utes and Washington Huskies football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 29: A painted "PAC 12" is shown here on the field before the Utah Utes and Washington Huskies football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images) /
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The 2019 Clemson football team is one of the favorites to get back to the CFB Playoff. Could the Tigers see a team from out on the west coast for a change?

When we talk about CFB Playoff contenders for the 2019 season, very rarely do we mention the Pac-12.

The 2019 Clemson football team is one of the favorites to get back to the CFB Playoff, but there are very few analysts that have the Tigers playing a team from west coast.

Most have Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State or Notre Dame in some form or combination. Some have added a team like Michigan or LSU to their four just to break up the monotony, but there is very little attention drawn or given to the Pac-12.

It’s for good reason, I mean, the Pac-12 is probably the worst conference in the nation. There isn’t much good football that goes on there and all of the major programs- USC, UCLA and the like- aren’t performing near the level anyone would like to see them at, as far as TV ratings are concerned.

However, there are two programs that could make a potential run to the CFB Playoff if everything went right for them. Those two teams are Washington and Oregon.

Both the Huskies and the Ducks have made one CFB Playoff appearance each, but neither have been back since 2016. There’s a solid chance that both of the programs start the season inside the top-12 in the country and that could lead to them making a run to the playoff for a second season.

For it to happen, though, they’d likely have to go undefeated. I’m not even sure that a one-loss Pac-12 champion will make the playoff at this point. The committee, fans and analysts alike just don’t pay attention to the league.

There could be a situation, maybe if a bunch of other teams go 11-1 or 10-2, where a one-loss Oregon or Washington gets into the playoff. In any instance, I’d expect that Pac-12 team to have to travel to Atlanta should they make the playoff.

There’s no way in the world that the committee is going to let a higher-seeded Alabama, Georgia or Clemson go across the country, and I just don’t see any Pac-12 team being any higher ranked than No. 3 in the country.

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In the end, it’s not likely to happen. However, it would be fun to see a different opponent- especially if it meant them having to travel down to Atlanta to play Clemson football in the first round of the playoff.

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