Fansided

College Football Playoff Rankings 2017: Projected top four after Week 13

By Brad Weiss

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 25: Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers calls a play at the line of scrimmage against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first quarter of the game on November 25, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 25: Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers calls a play at the line of scrimmage against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first quarter of the game on November 25, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
COLUMBIA, SC – NOVEMBER 25: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers warms up ahead of their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC – NOVEMBER 25: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers warms up ahead of their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
4

Clemson Tigers (11-1)

Last week: W at South Carolina
Last rank: 3

The Miami Hurricanes saw their undefeated season go by the wayside on Friday, as they were beaten by Pittsburgh. Their opponent in the ACC Championship Game made sure they won their final regular season game on Saturday, easily dispatching of South Carolina on the road. The Tigers and Hurricanes will do battle next Saturday for not only an ACC title, but a chance to be one of the final four teams picked for the College Football Playoff.

Clemson got off to a fast start in their game against the Gamecocks, as Ryan Carter picked off a Jake Bentley pass and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown. A Tavien Feaster one-yard run gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead, and Kelly Bryant hit Hunter Renfrow for a score right before the half. The point after attempt was missed, and the two teams went into the locker room for halftime with the Tigers leading the Gamecocks by a score of 20-0.

After the break, the Tigers got right back on the board, as Bryant hit Renfrow for the second time in the contest. A Travis Etienne touchdown would make the score 34-0, as the Tigers made a serious statement in their regular-season finale with an eventual 34-10 win. With the way they played on Saturday night, they should be a heavy favorite going into their matchup against the Hurricanes on Saturday.

The Tigers lost so much of their firepower to the NFL last season, so being in this position is a real testament to the job head coach Dabo Swinney is doing with the program. Can Kelly Bryant lead the Tigers to back-to-back national titles in his freshman season? Only time will tell, but this defensive front is legit, and the Tigers have the right pieces in place to make another serious run to a title.

Home/College Football Playoff