Clemson hasn't been to the College Football Playoffs since 2019, and after last season, hopes that they make it again this year started to dwindle. But there seems to be one thing that people are forgetting: the days of a four-team playoff are over.
Starting in the 2024-25 season, the College Football Playoffs are moving to a 12-team system. The top five CFP-ranked conference champions will earn a spot in the playoffs. The other seven openings are for At-large bids, chosen from the next highest-CFP-ranked teams left.
Regarding seeding, the top four seeds are reserved for the top four conference champs. The last conference champ and the seven At-large teams will be seeded based on their CFP ranking.
With the season quickly approaching, here's Rubbing the Rock's preseason CFP prediction:
2024 Preseason 12-team College Football Playoff rankings prediction
Rank | Team | Why are they here | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ohio State | Big Ten champion | N/A |
2 | Georgia | SEC champion | N/A |
3 | Florida State | ACC champion | N/A |
4 | Utah | Big 12 champion | N/A |
5 | Texas | At-large | N/A |
6 | Penn St | At-large | N/A |
7 | Oregon | At-large | N/A |
8 | Ole Miss | At-large | N/A |
9 | Notre Dame | At-large | N/A |
10 | Clemson | At-large | N/A |
11 | UNLV | MW champion | N/A |
12 | Oklahoma State | At-large | N/A |
Clemson's main goal this season is getting past the first five games unscathed. Those games are a gauntlet with Georgia, Florida State, and NC State. However, realistically, Clemson only needs ten wins to reach the playoffs. If they can make it through the first five games with only two losses and take care of business in the last half of the schedule, Clemson has a great chance to steal an At-large bid.
How many regular season wins does your team need to be in conversation for a CFP at-large bid?
— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) July 3, 2024
*Order within the tier matters. Georgia’s 9 wins would be more impressive than Vanderbilt’s, which would be more impressive than Arkansas’, etc. pic.twitter.com/wuXepya3oG
On the other hand, the SEC and Big 10 will most likely control the lion's share of spots. Here we have Georgia, Texas, and Ole Miss of the SEC making appearances, while the Big 10 has Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State. The Big 12 and ACC have two each, including the conference champs. Norte Dame gets the last At-large bid. Their schedule isn't the hardest, but there's potential for some quality wins with Texas A&M, USC, and Florida State. The final spot belongs to the Mountain West Champion UNLV.