Are Clemson’s College Football Playoff hopes already dashed?

This was supposed to be the year Clemson made its grand return to college football prominence and prove last year's squeeze into the 12-team College Football Playoff was no fluke. Well, three weeks in and the Tigers' postseason hopes are already on life support.

The No. 14 team in the nation fell to Georgia Tech on the road after the Yellow Jackets converted a last-second 55-yard field goal attempt. The whiteout at Bobby Dodd Stadium emptied onto the field from the stands as the historic venue witnessed yet another massive upset in the ACC.

Georgia Tech vanquished then-No. 10 Florida State at the start of last season in Ireland on a similar ending and that sent the Seminoles into a 2-10 tailspin. Could the Tigers be heading for the same fate?

Clemson has zero room for error with CFP hopes on life support

They say you can't judge a college football team until after Week 3. Well, three games have come and gone for Clemson and they sit at 1-2. That's certainly not the benchmark the Tigers were looking for as they pursue back-to-back ACC titles. Everything feels harder than it should for Cade Klubnik and a veteran offense, and the defense lacks the sort of dynamic disruptors we've seen in years past.

Which begs the question: Is all hope already lost? There are still two more ranked matchups left on Clemson's schedule, which provides two crucial opportunities for the Tigers to reestablish themselves in the College Football Playoff selection committee's eyes. But that's only possible if they run the table from here on out.

Last year's 12-team field featured three teams with at least two losses. Clemson, of course, was the lone team with three, but the Tigers claimed an auto-bid by winning the ACC Championship Game. As of this moment, that's really the only realistic path the Tigers have to make it back to the postseason.

There will be too many teams with better resumes than Clemson if it cannot claim an auto-bid. Losing to LSU in Week 1 is excusable, but needing to erase a 16-point deficit to beat Troy and then falling to an unranked Georgia Tech squad are quite the noticeable blemishes. Given how wide-open the field looks, Dabo Swinney and Co. can't rely on standing out with two losses. There will almost certainly be a logjam at 10-2 this year, and Clemson will have a hard time differentiating itself from that pack.

Run the table. It's a simple and as dangerous as that for Clemson if it's going to see the postseason this year.