College Football

Will Clemson's strength of schedule impact its CFP hopes?

Updated Oct. 25, 2022 8:36 p.m. ET

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Where would the Clemson Tigers finish if they played in the Big Ten or the SEC? 

It’s a hypothetical question that could be discussed over a five-course meal and still not have a definitive conclusion.  

Most would agree that Clemson is a good college football team. But are the Tigers worthy of a spot in the College Football Playoff? According to Joel Klatt, we won’t know until they're in it. And right now it looks like they will be, as it’s hard to find a potential loss on what is a relatively easy remaining schedule.

"There is no other team in the country with an easier path to the playoff than Clemson, and it’s been that way for some time," Klatt said on his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show." "This is a ridiculously weak one-team conference."

The Tigers have a bye this week before traveling to South Bend to take on Notre Dame on Nov. 5. They close out their season with three consecutive home games against Louisville (Nov. 12), Miami (Nov. 19) and No. 25 South Carolina (Nov. 26). 

Clemson escapes No. 14 Syracuse

Joel Klatt wonders how good No. 5 Clemson is after it survived a challenge from No. 14 Syracuse in Week 8.

Unless something drastic takes place over the next month, Clemson will go through its entire regular-season schedule without playing a team ranked higher than NC State was (No. 10) when they met on Oct. 1. The Wolfpack are now No. 24.

Clemson is currently ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 6 in Klatt’s most recent set of rankings.

Outside the Tigers and Wolfpack, there are only two ACC teams in the AP Top 25: No. 10 Wake Forest and No. 16 Syracuse. For context, there are a combined 11 ranked teams from the SEC and Big Ten, and seven of them appear in the top 15. In fact, Clemson is the only squad not in the SEC or Big Ten ranked among the top six.

"It makes me wish we had expansion early because there is no part of me that thinks that Clemson could finish any higher than third in the SEC East or the Big Ten East," Klatt said.

Klatt’s point can be backed up by simply looking at the numbers.

Of the eight teams Clemson has played up to this point, only two of them (Syracuse and NC State) rank in the top 40 in points allowed per game. There are also only two teams on Clemson’s schedule that rank in the top 40 in points per game (Syracuse and Wake Forest). 

In comparison, the SEC has six teams ranked inside the top 30 in scoring defense, and five inside the top 30 in scoring offense. The Big Ten’s defensive numbers are even stronger, with more than half of the conference ranked inside the top 40 in scoring defense, and four teams in the top 40 in scoring offense. 

"There’s no way in the world they would win the Big Ten or the SEC, but yet, they’re going to the playoffs," Klatt said. "So now, we’re fighting for three spots." 

The first set of College Football Playoff rankings are set to be released on Nov. 1. It will be interesting to see where the Tigers land once the committee releases those rankings, as not only does Clemson have a relatively easy schedule, it also has questions surrounding key positions, including quarterback.

This past weekend, the Tigers turned to backup QB Cade Klubnik to rally them to a 27-21 win over Syracuse after starter DJ Uiagalelei committed three turnovers by the midway point of the third quarter.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has since said that Uiagalelei will be this team’s QB going forward, but when talking about "passing the eye test," the Tigers certainly did not look like one of the four best teams in the nation.

"Do we really think they are all that good?" Klatt questioned. "I have no idea, and the bad part about that is we won’t figure that out until they potentially play a playoff game." 

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