Clemson's season ended with a 38-24 loss to Texas, and, of course, the internet is blowing up.
Fans on social media have criticized the College Football Playoffs after Indiana and SMU looked horrible against their opponents. Now, college football fans are pointing to Clemson's game as another example of where the committee got it wrong.
Indeed, the first half of the game was awful. The first drive was as smooth as a knife through hot butter, but it was all Texas afterward. Clemson gave up 28 points in the first 30 minutes for the first time this season.
However, the Tigers held Texas to only 10 points in the second half and were an overturned pick-six and a goal-line touchdown away from being a game with 10 minutes left in the fourth.
Still, that didn't stop SEC fans from complaining on the internet.
College Football Playoff Social media reactions: Clemson vs Texas
Texas was the better team.
— Tiger Commenter (@TigerCommenter) December 22, 2024
Cade was the better QB.
That penalty negating the pick-6 hurt.
Cade Klubnik had a heck of a game. He went 26/43 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Texas averaged just over 200 yards a game through the air before Saturday and only four touchdowns all season. Compared to Quinn Ewers's 292 yards and one touchdown, Klubnik was the best play-caller on the field.
Clemson has fought its tail off and Klubnik has absolutely balled out! But in the end their inability to run the ball is the difference in this game.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) December 22, 2024
In the other aspect of the game, Clemson was terrible. Surprisingly, the Tigers managed to record 72 yards on the ground, but if you watched the game, it was hard to see where they came from. On defense, Clemson was just a putrid. Texas put up nearly 300 yards on the ground, and every Longhorn touchdown came off a rush of 16 yards or more.
The SEC absolutely owns Clemson University #B2A pic.twitter.com/nljJBcNqcq
— General Will (@GamecockWill69) December 21, 2024
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) December 22, 2024
Of course, the SEC trolls are out in droves. With Ole Miss and Alabama missing the CFP, SEC fans are using these three games as an opportunity to flex the conference brand and, of course, make fun of the ACC.
Now that SMU is getting blasted, I hope Clemson gets blasted too. The ACC should be treated like the American Athletic moving forward, it’s no longer a power conference in football.
— Jeff Parles (@jeffparles) December 21, 2024
Clemson wasn't the only one receiving criticism. The ACC as a whole was attacked. With SMU's loss as well, the conference has never been as low as it is now.
3 Different SEC Teams beat the ACC Champion this year.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) December 22, 2024
They outscored them 89 to 43.
Peter Burns of the SEC Network popped up on Clemson fans' timeline with a hot take yesterday, claiming Texas would 'feast' tonight. While that didn't happen, he did use the loss to throw shade on the conference, too.
Clemson fought, but…
— Connor O'Gara (@cjogara) December 22, 2024
I look forward to ACC commissioner Jim Phillips ignoring the fact that his champ went 0-3 vs. the SEC this year.
Connor O'Gara of Saturday Down South at least gave Clemson props before bringing up the 0-3 stat against the SEC again.
The CF Playoff Committee should be completely replaced. If you can’t identify the best teams after the ridiculous auto bids what are you doing at all those meetings? That’s 3 terrible matchups.
— John Kincade (@JohnKincade) December 22, 2024
While the CFP process needs amending, this take from John Kincade, a sports radio show host for a station in Philadelphia, is completely over the top. Firstly, the Clemson game wasn't a terrible matchup. Sure, the first half wasn't pleasant, but the Tigers showed they could play with "big dogs" in the second half.
Secondly, expecting the CFP committee to get everything right in the first season is unrealistic. While using a computer — like the BCS model — might be the better option, expecting a group of humans to be perfect at anything is a ridiculous standard, especially when doing something that's never been done before.