Clemson drops but still inside CFP top four after first loss
Clemson remains ranked in the top four in the College Football Playoff rankings, despite suffering its first loss of the season to Pitt last Saturday.
The Tigers are ranked No. 4 in the rankings, which were released Tuesday night.
Alabama holds strong at No. 1, followed by Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan.
Louisville improved from sixth to fifth with a victory over Wake Forest, while Washington dropped from fourth to sixth after losing at home to Southern California. Wisconsin, Penn State, Oklahoma and Colorado round out the top 10.
Clemson has three wins over Top-25 teams – two on the road. The Tigers beat No. 5 Louisville, won at No. 15 Auburn and at No. 17 Florida State. Clemson’s win over No. 5 Louisville is the highest ranked win among the top four teams.
Last week rankings, Clemson, Michigan and Washington were behind top-ranked Alabama. The Tigers, Wolverines and Huskies all lost over the weekend.
If the rankings hold, Clemson will face the Crimson Tide in a semifinal on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.
The Tigers play at Wake Forest on Saturday and can clinch the ACC Atlantic with a win. Clemson will end the regular season hosting South Carolina. The Tigers would then play the ACC Coastal winner, most likely Virginia Tech, in the ACC title game.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said during his Tuesday news conference that he believes the Tigers still control their own destiny to reach the playoff.
“We’ve got to go finish and it’ll all play itself out, but there’s nothing different for us. We control our destiny, and it wouldn’t have been any different if some of those other teams hadn’t have lost last week,” Swinney said. “We’d still control our own destiny. It is what it is in that regard. It really doesn’t matter. All that matters is try to find a way to beat Wake Forest this week. If we do that then we’re on track to bigger and better goals.”
School | Record |
1. Alabama | 10-0 |
2. Ohio St. | 9-1 |
3. Michigan | 9-1 |
4. Clemson | 9-1 |
5. Louisville | 9-1 |
6. Washington | 9-1 |
7. Wisconsin | 8-2 |
8. Penn St. | 8-2 |
9. Oklahoma | 8-2 |
10. Colorado | 8-2 |
11. Oklahoma St. | 8-2 |
12. Utah | 8-2 |
13. Southern Cal | 7-3 |
14. West Virginia | 8-1 |
15. Auburn | 7-3 |
16. LSU | 6-3 |
17. Florida St. | 7-3 |
18. Nebraska | 8-2 |
19. Tennessee | 7-3 |
20. Boise St. | 9-1 |
21. Western Michigan | 10-0 |
22. Washington St. | 8-2 |
23. Florida | 7-2 |
24. Stanford | 7-3 |
25. Texas A&M | 7-3 |
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will issue weekly rankings each Tuesday, with the final rankings being announced Dec. 4. The semifinals will be hosted at the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl on Dec. 31. The championship game will be played on Jan. 9 at Tampa, Fla.
Full #CFBPlayoff Top 25 for games played through November 12. pic.twitter.com/HMKAnElgs3
— CFBPlayoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 16, 2016
This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Clemson drops but still inside CFP top four after first loss."