It is no secret that just about everyone with an opinion on the College Football Playoff believes that the Clemson Tigers are facing an uphill battle today when they take on the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns in Austin. And after watching other CFP underdogs SMU and Indiana get thorougly dominated on the road in the opening round, one prominent ESPN analyst thinks Clemson will suffer a similar fate.
Peter Burns, an ESPN and SEC Network studio anchor posted on X that he thinks the Mustangs and Hoosiers "feasted on the bottom part of their conferences to finesse a CFB playoff invite". Then, he said that the Longhorns would "dogwalk" Clemson later today intimating that Clemson also got into the playoff by beating up on the weaklings of their conference.
It is no surprise that Burns, who is employed by the network that has the broadcast rights to the SEC, is predicting that an SEC team will trample the ACC Champions. That's the prevailing narrative from everyone on that network with all of the analysts on Saturday's College GameDay pregame show picking Texas to win easily.
In fact, Burns posted earlier this week that Texas is going to "feast" on the Tigers. However, those comparing Clemson to SMU and Indiana are misguided.
For those upset that I pointed out how Indiana & SMU feasted on the bottom part of their conferences to finesse a CFB playoff invite and then point out Texas' schedule.....
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) December 21, 2024
Keep that energy when the Longhorns dogwalk Clemson later this afternoon.
Clemson is a different caliber of program than SMU and Indiana. Thus, simply being in the playoff isn't goin to prove to be too big of a moment for the Tigers.
Remember, Clemson has been in seven College Football Playoffs. Therefore, this isn't the first trip around the playoff block for head coach Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff.
The same can't be said for Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti or SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee. Each of those coaches were newcomers to the playoff party this season and it showed as their teams looked ill prepared for their big moments in the spotlight.
Clemson won't be in the same boat this afternoon. Sure, the Tigers might face a talent deficit and they could lose by multiple scores but it would be shocking to see them look like deer in headlights like the Hoosiers did Friday night in South Bend and the Mustangs did today in Happy Valley.
Remember, SMU and Indiana were at-large invites to the field. Thus, they didn't have to win a championship to earn their place at the table.
Clemson, on the other hand, faced a do-or-die game in the ACC Championship as their only means of earning a playoff spot. And what did the Tigers do with that opportunity? They beat the Mustangs on a neutral field to claim the ACC crown.
Thus, the Tigers didn't just feast on the bottom feeders of their conference as Burns in implying. Rather, they beat the highest-ranked team in their conference head to head in order to earn their playoff bid.
Clemson has already been through one must-win game to keep its season alive and played its best game of the season in the process. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that today's moment will be too big for the Tigers as were the first-round games for the Hoosiers and the Mustangs. Clemson might not have the firepower to take down Texas on the road but if Swinney and his team come up short, it won't be because they are overwhelmed by simply being in the playoff as was the case with SMU and Indiana.