The 2021 Clemson football season hasn’t gone nearly as anyone had expected coming into the year, but the Tigers still have an outside shot at finishing with some hardware if everything fell into place.
Clemson was basically eliminated from CFB Playoff contention following the second loss of the season back in September to N.C. State and the Tigers have been playing ‘catch-up’ ever since then in terms of the ACC Atlantic Division race.
Now, as we head into the month of November, here’s a look at the division standings:
- Wake Forest (5-0)
- N.C. State (3-1)
- Clemson (4-2)
- Louisville (2-3)
- Florida State (2-3)
- Syracuse (2-3)
- Boston College (0-4)
For Clemson to win the ACC Atlantic, the Tigers have to go undefeated in conference play the rest of the way. That would include wins over Louisville and Wake Forest.
The two key teams to watch are Wake Forest and N.C. State, who are ahead of Clemson in the standings. Here’s a look at the two team’s conference schedules the rest of the way and the scenarios that could get the Tigers in the ACC Championship game.
NC State: @ Florida State, @ Wake Forest, vs. Syracuse, vs. UNC
Wake Forest: vs. NC State, @ Clemson, @ Boston College
Scenarios for Clemson football to still win the ACC Atlantic Division
Scenario 1:
- Clemson wins out
- NC State beats Wake Forest, but loses two other games
This is probably the cleanest and most likely scenario in terms of percentage chances. Clemson and NC State would beat Wake Forest, giving the Demon Deacons two losses. NC State would lose two other games (between FSU, Syracuse and UNC) and finish 5-3, allowing the Tigers to clinch the division.
Scenario 2:
- Clemson wins out
- Wake Forest beats NC State, but loses to Boston College
- NC State loses one more (FSU, Syracuse, UNC)
In this scenario, NC State would have its 5-3 record by way of losing to Wake Forest and then one other ACC foe. That would get the Wolfpack– who hold the tiebreaker over Clemson– out of the way, but Wake Forest would only have one loss heading into the final week of the season. The Demon Deacons would lose to Boston College– finishing 6-2 in the conference– and the Tigers would have the tiebreaker to clinch the division.
Scenario 3:
- Clemson wins out
- Wake Forest beats NC State, but loses to Boston College
- NC State only loses to Wake Forest
In this scenario, you’d have a three-way tie with Clemson (6-2), Wake Forest (6-2) and NC State (6-2) all holding the same record and they’d each have the tiebreaker over one another. The ACC has a system for breaking three-way ties, but it’s too early to tell who would get the nod if this scenario were to unfold.