Clemson Football: Does 11-1 record get Tigers in CFB Playoff 2019?

Does an 11-1 record get Clemson football into the CFB Playoff in 2019? Here’s a look at what would need to happen for the Tigers.

A 12-0 record with an ACC Championship is the only way to guarantee a berth in the CFB Playoff for Clemson football.

The Tigers are victims of bad perspective and most national analysts, as well as playoff committee members, are going to ding them for playing a ‘weak schedule’ in 2019. While the schedule certainly isn’t a gauntlet, it’s also not as easy as many media members and fans will make it out to be throughout the season.

With that being said, could an 11-1 record still get Clemson football into the CFB Playoff?

Analysis:

The answer to this, in short, is maybe. If the Tigers lose a game during the regular season, they’ll need a few things to happen in their favor.

First, it probably needs to happen early. Perhaps a loss at home to Texas A&M or on the road at Syracuse early. There probably needs to be understanding circumstances, as well, for the loss. In addition to the loss happening early and it being a stretch, you’d probably need several teams around the nation to lose.

The year that Clemson made it to the CFB Playoff with one loss and won the National Championship, for example, three other teams in the top part of the rankings lost.

What we cannot stress enough is the fact that the Tigers aren’t going to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to schedule. If it comes down to an 11-1 Clemson team with an ACC Championship or an 11-1 Texas team with a Big 12 Championship, you can be sure that the committee is going to put Texas in over the Tigers.

With that being said, there is still a chance that Clemson football gets in with an 11-1 record because of the Tigers’ reputation. People recognize Clemson as one of the elite powerhouses in the nation and aren’t going to want to leave out Trevor Lawrence and that prolific offense, especially if the Tigers are playing well in late November.

Overall, it will be much easier if the Tigers just take it one game at a time and finish the season undefeated, but that is much easier said than done. Clemson isn’t out with a loss, but the road will certainly be much more difficult.