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Clemson Football: ACC standings, scenarios heading into bye week

By Shawn Spencer

Oct 10, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; General view of a football on top of an end zone marker with the Atlantic Coast Conference logo displayed prior to the game against the Duke Blue Devils and the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; General view of a football on top of an end zone marker with the Atlantic Coast Conference logo displayed prior to the game against the Duke Blue Devils and the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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ACC standings & scenarios for Clemson football heading into second bye week

The Clemson football team lost its first game of the season Saturday night at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in double overtime.

The Tigers were missing starting QB Trevor Lawrence and a plethora of defensive starters on the evening, but that still doesn’t matter in terms of the hunt for a conference champion. Clemson is still ranked No. 4 in the nation, but the Tigers are now behind the Fighting Irish in both the ACC standings and national rankings following the loss.

Here’s a look at the leaders in the current ACC standings as Clemson football approaches its second bye week with conference records in parenthesis:

  1. Notre Dame (6-0)
  2. Clemson (6-1)
  3. Miami (5-1)
  4. North Carolina (5-2)
  5. Virginia Tech (4-2)
  6. Wake Forest (3-2)

Keep in mind, the ACC doesn’t have divisions this year. The two top teams will play in the conference title game.

Because Clemson football beat Miami, the Tigers do control their own destiny. However, there are still some interesting scenarios in play

Notre Dame still has four remaining ACC games- Boston College, UNC, Syracuse and Wake Forest. If the Fighting Irish lose to UNC and then lose again, and then if UNC beats Miami, it would actually be the Tarheels who take on Clemson in the ACC Championship.

That being said, it’s much more likely that the Tigers either see Notre Dame or Miami in Charlotte. If the Fighting Irish dropped a game, they’d still likely win the tiebreaker over Miami because they beat Clemson– the team with the best overall winning percent that played both teams- although it’s not a given.

Here’s the kicker, though. If Clemson was to lose another game (the Tigers have FSU, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech remaining), there would be a very small chance for them to make it to the conference championship and they’d certainly be on the outside looking in when it comes to standings, though that’s all still speculation at this point.

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The simplest path for Clemson football to end up in Charlotte is just to win out. The Tigers still control their destiny from that perspective and must find a way to get the job done down the stretch of this 2020 season.

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