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Clemson Football: Who are the potential CFB Playoff contenders in 2019?

By Shawn Spencer

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: The Clemson Tigers mascot and cheerleaders wave to the crowd during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: The Clemson Tigers mascot and cheerleaders wave to the crowd during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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As we inch closer to the start of the 2019 Clemson football season, let’s take a look outside of Tiger Town and talk about potential CFB Playoff contenders.

The start of the 2019 Clemson football season is just a few weeks away.

The Tigers are currently on the back half of summer workouts and are preparing for fall camp. Clemson is considered one of the favorites to get back to the CFB Playoff and compete for yet another National Championship.

As we inch closer to the start of the 2019 Clemson football season, let’s take a look at the nation outside of Tiger Town and see who the Tigers might could see in a potential CFB Playoff matchup.

Potential CFB Playoff Contenders:

  • ACC: Clemson
  • Big Ten: Ohio State, Michigan
  • Big 12: Oklahoma, Texas
  • Pac-12: Oregon, Washington
  • SEC: Alabama, Georgia, LSU
  • Others: Notre Dame

Honestly, we’ve listed 11 teams here, but certainly don’t feel confident about the vast majority of them.

Michigan has never been able to get over the hump of beating Ohio State under Jim Harbaugh and there’s no indication that it changes this season.

Oklahoma and Texas are considered the favorites in the Big 12, but both have lost players from last season and have areas of concern.

Though we have LSU listed, no one really believes that the Tigers are going to unseat Alabama or even potentially Texas A&M. At this point, I think there’s a greater chance that LSU finishes third or worst in the SEC West than actually winning it or winning at least 11 games to become a contender.

Notre Dame made it to the CFB Playoff last season, but the Irish will have to reload and fight off potential backlash from getting blown out last season.

In the Pac-12, neither Oregon nor Washington are really huge contenders. They’re both going to be in the top-10, potentially top-8, but not in the top-four unless they go undefeated.

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So, breaking down the playoff picture right now, there’s really only two clear teams: Clemson and Alabama. After them, I think you’ve got Georgia and Ohio State, then you may could make an argument for one of the Big 12 teams.

Though people want to believe the door is wide open, the truth is that we’re going to see a lot of familiar names up near the top when CFB Playoff discussions arise throughout the 2019 season.

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