The ACC is to blame for being the fourth Power Four league in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Of the 24 Power Four teams that were ranked in the initial top 25 rankings for this season, only two were out of the ACC: No. 1 Miami and No. 16 Wake Forest. The SEC had 10 teams, the Big Ten had six, the Big 12 had five, and Notre Dame as a national independent.
Here is what the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season looked like after the big reveal.
- Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
- Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
- Utah Utes (8-0)
- Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
- Kentucky Wildcats (7-1)
- Texas Longhorns (6-2)
- UCLA Bruins (8-0)
- BYU Cougars (7-1)
- Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2)
- Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
- LSU Tigers (6-2)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1)
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-1)
- Houston Cougars (6-2)
- Missouri Tigers (6-2)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)
- USC Trojans (7-2)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3)
- Arizona Wildcats (6-2)
- Oregon Ducks (5-3)
- Florida Gators (5-3)
- Boise State Broncos (7-1)
Rather than complain about how many SEC teams are ranked, including South Carolina at No. 21, teams like Clemson have certainly played their part in the ACC being downgraded this badly. While Miami deserved to be the No. 1 team in the country, the presumed second best team in the league in Wake Forest was discounted at No. 16. The Demon Deacons should easily be a top-14 team already.
What hurts the ACC so much right now is there is not a confident pick for the third best team at all. Clemson is in an extended cluster of teams with Duke, Louisville, Pittsburgh, SMU, and Virginia Tech that are firmly behind Miami and Wake Forest entering November. It might be Louisville or Duke, but that is exactly the problem with the ACC right now. There are only two quality teams, and that is all.
Clemson has to be kicking itself over the Virginia Tech loss once again
Clemson being 5-3 (3-2) right now has effectively ruined its chances of making the playoffs. While getting to Charlotte at 9-3 (6-2) is still somewhat possible, Clemson is not equipped to beat Miami in a rematch or try their luck against a surging Wake Forest team. However, if the Tigers have just taken care of business over the paper tigers that are the Virginia Tech Hokies, it might be a different story.
Of the six ACC teams mentioned behind Miami and Wake Forest, they have all shot themselves in the foot at various points. Louisville's awful loss to North Carolina State looks worse by the week. Duke stumbling to Georgia Tech was brutally bad. Virginia Tech losing on the road to Cal was unforgivable. SMU just lost to Syracuse. Clemson collapsed against Virginia Tech. Pitt does not have a quarterback.
As you can see, Clemson's worst loss is actually better than the rest. The Tigers have only lost to teams with two or fewers losses on the campaign: No. 1 Miami (8-0), No. 14 LSU (6-2), and 6-2 Virginia Tech. To be fair, Pitt is the only one of the half-dozen good, but not great ACC teams we should feel sorry for. Losing Mason Heintschel for the season has changed the entire trajectory for the Panthers.
In short, had Clemson just beaten Virginia Tech, the Tigers would be 6-2 overall and 4-1 in ACC play. They would be seen as the third best team in the ACC behind only Miami and Wake Forest. Would that have been enough to get past No. 23 Oregon (5-3), No. 24 Florida (5-3), or No. 25 Boise State (7-1)? Maybe not. However, there would have been a discussion for Clemson being a top 25 team this week.
Instead, Clemson finds itself in the middle class of an ACC neighborhood nobody wants to live in.
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