Clemson Football: ACC officiating should be on Tigers’ side

ACC officiating should be on the side of Clemson football in the ACC Championship

The Clemson football team will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the ACC Championship game Saturday evening in Bank of America Stadium.

The Tigers and Irish both come into the matchup with opportunities to make the CFB Playoff and there is actually a scenario where both would with all certainty make the playoff: If Clemson wins and Notre Dame loses.

The ACC– just like every other conference in the nation- has done enough to protect the top teams in the conference (though it’s not near as much as SEC pundits would lead you to believe) and we’re now just one final result away from the ACC becoming the second conference in the history of the CFB Playoff to score two teams in the semifinals.

But it’s not just the fact that the ACC could get two teams in the playoff that the officiating should be in the corner of the Clemson football team

There’s a solid chance that Clemson could lose the game Saturday and still make the CFB Playoff.

That being said, the ACC faces two very real scenarios- one in which they get everything they could’ve dreamt of and more, and one where they have egg all over their face.

1. Clemson wins. Both the Tigers and Notre Dame make the playoff.
2. Notre Dame wins. The Irish go to the playoff, Clemson misses and then the Irish leave the conference after the season ends.

Can you imagine the pure embarrassment of having a team that you let into your conference as a full-time member for one season come in and beat your top team, take their CFB Playoff spot and then leave as soon as the season is over?

Well, that’s a real scenario that the ACC should absolutely be terrified of happening.

In the end, we’re not saying that ACC officials will call things in favor of Clemson. We all should want the officials to call the game completely down the middle, but we all know that’s not always the case.

We know that officials tend to let a holding call go for a team and then call it on their opponent. We know that officiating crews will let some physicality go on a potential pass-interference call on one side and then call some hand checking on the other side.

All we’re saying is that- for the first time really ever- the ACC has a vested interest in Clemson football winning that just *might* lead to the Tigers getting a call or two that they normally wouldn’t get.

But we all know the most realistic expectation is that the Tigers will have calls go against them and they’ll have to overcome it.