4. It leaves room for error
This may be the biggest benefit for Clemson football moving forward.
The world of College Football is a strange place and upsets happen. The Tigers were upset by Syracuse and Pittsburgh in the past and it almost cost them a CFB Playoff berth. Had there not been other upsets around the same time, they certainly could’ve been left out of the field of four altogether.
With an 8-team playoff, you’d have a little room for error.
This would likely push teams to schedule better matchups in the non-conference. They’d want resume-building wins instead of unmerciful blowouts.
If the Tigers lost a game, they wouldn’t be out of contention. There would be a margin of error for Dabo Swinney’s program while still knowing how much the regular season matters in terms of getting to the playoff.