Cade Klubnik, the most seasoned player on the Clemson Tigers, disclosed his intentions to either remain with the team or leave following the defeat to South Carolina.
Following their defeat over the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Clemson Tigers’ prospects of qualifying for the College Football Playoffs appeared to be minimal. With their three defeats, Dabo Swinney’s team was on the verge of elimination from the playoffs. That is, until the Miami Hurricanes were beaten by the Syracuse Orange. The Canes, led by Cam Ward, will now be watching the ACC championship at home. Clemson will now play the SMU Mustangs in the ACC championship game after Syracuse defeated Miami. After Miami’s defeat, Clemson’s prospects of making the playoffs were quite evident. To guarantee their spot in the College Football Playoffs, the Tigers must defeat SMU. If SMU or Clemson win the ACC, they will both be guaranteed a spot in the postseason.
A four-loss Tigers team is unlikely to be among the top-12 ranked teams that advance to the tournament if Clemson loses against SMU. Then, rather than going straight to the tournament as an ACC champion, Clemson would have to qualify as an at-large club. Clemson was placed No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings before the team’s defeat over South Carolina.
