There's no question that last weekend was probably a fatal blow to Clemson's College Football Playoff (CFP) hopes. With SMU and Miami holding tie-breakers over the Tigers, one would have to lose two of their final three games for Clemson to make the ACC Championship. Even then, it'd still have to win to make the playoffs.
We all knew the prognosis didn't look good, but we didn't know the extent. The CFP committee released its first rankings of the 2024-25 season, and the Tigers debuted at No. 23. For context, the AP Top 25 has Clemson ranked four spots ahead at No. 19, and the Coaches Poll has them ranked No. 17.
Four ACC teams rank higher in the CFP rankings, with the two obvious teams — Miami and SMU — coming in at No. 4 and No. 13, respectively. However, the committee believes that Pitt and Louisville are better than Clemson compared to the AP and Coaches Poll, which have both ranked behind the Tigers.
College Football Playoff Rankings: Week 10
- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Miami
- Texas
- Penn State
- Tennessee
- Indiana
- BYU
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- Boise State
- SMU
- Texas A&M
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Iowa State
- Pitt
- Kansas State
- Colorado
- Washington State
- Louisville
- Clemson
- Missouri
- Army