Clemson Tigers

3 Reasons Clemson Tigers will return to National Championship and lose

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Clemson Tigers may have a clear path to the College Football Playoff and maybe even the College Football Playoff National Championship.

As the college football season unravels, you begin to get a clear picture of where everybody is realistically. Yes, there will be upsets, but you pretty much know who everybody is. The Clemson Tigers are, without question, still the best team in the ACC. With Florida State being the surprise team in the conference (for the wrong reasons) and with the Tigers already disposing of the Louisville Cardinals, the difficult part of Clemson’s season may actually be over.

There are still six games left to go in the regular season, and it’s hard to find a loss on their schedule. It appears the Tigers may be on a collision course with either the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Virginia Tech Hokies or the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Championship game. All of those games are winnable. That would make Clemson the ACC Champions again, put them in the College Football Playoff with an undefeated record and increase their chances of a return to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

That being said, let’s explore why it’s a very real possibility that Clemson gets to that game and ends up in the exact same spot they were in last year (the second-ranked team when the college football season ends).

Nov 7, 2015; Clemson, SC, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) is brought down by Clemson Tigers safety Travis Blanks (11) during the second half at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Tigers won 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

1. Remaining Schedule

Clemson has one real test remaining on their schedule. A week from this coming Saturday, they travel to Tallahassee to meet the Florida State Seminoles. That seemed like the de facto ACC Championship game as the season opened seeing as how the team that won that game normally found their way into the real ACC Championship Game, won it and ended up in the discussion for the National Championship. Clemson seems to be the well-oiled machine we expected, but the Seminoles have been a disappointment.

With two losses already hanging over the ‘Noles, Clemson could actually still reach the title game if they lost in Tallahassee. There’s really nothing left on their regular season schedule to get too concerned about. Three games remain in the ACC against teams who won’t be ranked. They close out with a struggling South Carolina Gamecocks team. You’d have to figure they’re better than anyone who would come out of the ACC Atlantic Division. This is college football though, and its’ unpredictability is why we watch. Still, this team should beat the Tar Heels, Hokies or Hurricanes if it comes down to a game against any one of those opponents.

The College Football Playoff shouldn’t be that tall of an order.

Sep 22, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) pitches the ball to running back Wayne Gallman (9) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Tigers won 26-7. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

2. Deshaun Watson

Just in case you haven’t heard, this team is led by a potential Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, and he’s pretty dog gone good.

Deshaun Watson has thrown 67 touchdowns in his career, and he’s run for another 17. He’s so good he’s had a great season, but many are considering it to be a slight step back because all anyone can remember or think about is his 35 touchdowns through the air and his 12 rushing touchdowns from a season ago. Last year he was a finalist for the Heisman. This year he’s one of the odds-on favorites to take it home.

Watson can beat you with his legs or arm, and he’ll be a matchup nightmare for defensive coordinators for the rest of the season. He’ll have the spotlight on him the entire time if Clemson runs the table and ends up in the CFP, but that won’t be an issue. Last year’s already proven he can handle it and won’t have any issues. This year he returns with even more experience under his belt.

With all of this being said, you should feel pretty good if you’re a Clemson fan, but like the great Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend”.

Oct 8, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) hands off to running back Damien Harris (34) during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 49-30. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

3. All roads probably lead to the Alabama Crimson Tide again

Here’s the issue. If Clemson reaches the college football playoff, they probably do so as a second or third seed. That means they probably get the Ohio State Buckeyes if Urban Meyer and company hold up their end of the deal.

That’s not going to excite anybody, but for the sake of argument, let’s say they get past the scarlet and gray. All roads still lead to the guys from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

There truly isn’t anything to get overly critical about when you look at the Alabama Crimson Tide. They consistently bring in a top-ranked recruiting class. They have arguably the best coach in the country in Nick Saban, and even if you disagree with that, most would probably put him in the category of the top two or three.

Last year the coaching staff struggled with the Clemson offense and Watson, and they still were in good shape because Saban now has the luxury of deferring to assistant coaches with a head coaching pedigree. Think about it. It was actually offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin who pulled the Tide out of the fire last year.

Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Reggie Ragland celebrates with snow angle in the middle of the field following their 45-40 victory over the Clemson Tigers in the 2016 CFP National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

Summary

So there you have it. Twelve games will be played by every team in college football. Every team with six wins or more will be eligible to play in a bowl game. Each conference with ten teams or more will have a championship game, but when it all comes down to it, you shouldn’t be surprised if it comes down to Clemson and Alabama in the College Football National Championship Game again.

There’s a lot that has to happen before that game will be officially announced. Clemson still has to beat the NC State Wolfpack this week and the Seminoles next week. Then, they’ll need to dispose of the rest of their ACC opponents on the schedule, and they’ll still have to get around South Carolina. They have to go to the ACC Championship game and win it. They still have to win a playoff game to get to the championship game.

Clemson will be tested, and they’re good enough to survive those tests, but are they good enough this year to beat an Ohio State team or an Alabama team if necessary? It’s not impossible, but truly only time will tell.