Clemson blows College Football Playoff chances with loss to South Carolina: CFB media reacts

With a soul-crushing home loss to South Carolina, Clemson will not make the College Football Playoff.

And then there were six…

While Ohio State is still technically alive for College Football Playoff consideration after getting blown out at home by Michigan, the same thing cannot be said for Clemson. Although the Tigers only lost by a single point to the South Carolina Gamecocks, a second loss in the non-conference has eliminated Dabo Swinney’s team from playoff consideration for the second straight season.

Here is the absolutely brutal fumble on a critical punt return to help lift South Carolina to victory.

Clemson is eliminated from College Football Playoff after South Carolina loss

With South Carolina winning on Saturday, it snapped the streak of seven straight Palmetto Bowl victories for the Tigers. Clemson’s FBS best home winning streak was also snapped. By stunning the Tigers in Death Valley, this gives Shane Beamer’s South Carolina program back-to-back wins over top-10 teams. With this being year two for him in Columbia, South Carolina is rolling now.

It is truly amazing that Beamer Ball is ultimately what it took to ruin Clemson’s season. Had the Tigers beaten South Carolina, they would have improved to 11-1 on the year. With a win over North Carolina in the ACC Championship game, they could have gotten into the College Football Playoff with some help from the likes of Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC. For now, it is so over…

While South Carolina is not sniffing the New Year’s Six with its 8-4 record on the season, the Gamecocks have all sorts of positive momentum heading into year three under Beamer. As for Clemson, the Tigers can still win an ACC Championship. If they beat North Carolina in Charlotte next Saturday, the Tigers will potentially face Alabama or possibly Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

Ultimately, this might be a tipping point in the massive in-state rivalry between the Tigers and the Gamecocks. Not since Beamer was serving on Steve Spurrier’s staff has South Carolina played this well vs. the Tigers. While Clemson is not a dying program, the Tigers are no longer dynastic. This means their CEO-type head coach will need to bring in better assistants to help stop the bleeding.

For now, the Gamecocks can claim the Palmetto State for their own for the next 365 days or so.

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