CFP Path: Clemson Faces More than Notre Dame This Week

This week could be "Separation Saturday" in college football.

No. 1 Tennessee plays at No. 3 Georgia in a key SEC East battle. No. 6 Alabama goes to No. 10 LSU in a game that will likely determine the SEC West.

No. 4 Clemson hits the road for a trip to historic Notre Dame Stadium as just a 3.5-point favorite.

The rest of the top 10 in the College Football Playoff's initial rankings, however, should feel pretty safe this week, but those five teams above are in danger of tasting defeat and falling out of top-4 contention, at least in theory.

The CFP committee tells that they start from scratch each week. Record, the strength of record, quality wins, head-to-head results and how you did against common opponents are the primary criteria.

That means the loser of Vols-Bulldogs might not be out of the CFP hunt. Tigers-Tide? You'd think.

Clemson? Who knows? It's not a 100% guarantee that the ACC Tigers get in even if they're undefeated. If Clemson, which will be favored the rest of the season, beats Notre Dame on Saturday and wins out, including beating No. 17 UNC in the ACC title game, you'd think n Power 5 conference champion with clout would reach the playoff.

However, the main reason the committee has them in the first rankings is because of three wins over currently ranked Syracuse, Wake Forest and NC State. One of those teams will likely drop out after this week as the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack square off at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

The Orange is an underdog on the road at Pittsburgh this week, so Syracuse might drop out as well.

If FSU beats rival Miami, maybe the Seminoles take one of those teams' place. The committee called the Tigers' road win last month "quality," so they must think highly of FSU.

Regardless, this weekend doesn't set up well for Clemson's resume, which won't get too much of a boost with a potential win over the 5-3 Irish.

And there are more than a few college football analysts and media members gnashing and clawing at Clemson's current ranking. They don't think the Tigers are a top-4 team, and that Michigan deserved that spot.

It is so clear the Brand Bias at play in the @CFBPlayoff rankings...@ClemsonFB is being rewarded for the ghosts of Championships past while @TCUFootball has a glass ceiling above their head @JoelKlattShow pic.twitter.com/D4KRWWdbg9
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) November 2, 2022

TCU followers seem more upset that Clemson is ahead of the undefeated Horned Frogs than Alabama, which has a loss.

TCU and Clemson have identical records.

TCU's strength of record (3) is above Clemson (4).

TCU has more ranked wins (4) than Clemson (3).

The fact Clemson is No. 4 while TCU is down at No. 7 is laughable. #CFBPlayoff
— Dean Straka (@DWStraka49) November 1, 2022

The committee members' voices are the only ones that matter, but are they influenced by all the outside noise? Could they switch from mainly a resume explanation in Week 1 of the rankings to an "eye test" down the road?

Of course they could. They can do whatever they want. The guidelines are loose. There are no clear-cut rules. Their "job" is to put the four best teams in the playoff. How they decipher that is up to the members.

Bottom line, the Tigers have no margin for error, this week or beyond. And it wouldn't hurt to look more "dominant." Dabo Swinney is urging his team to play their first complete game of the season, and this is his "championship phase." Coming off of an open date, the Tigers are well-rested and should play their best ball this week.

If not, the crows for them to drop will become louder. Michigan plays at Rutgers this week so that's not going to boost the Wolverines' resume. TCU hosts Texas Tech with next week's huge game against No. 24 Texas looming.

Whether it's a lack of belief in the ACC or the Tigers not passing many eye tests, Clemson will continue to be the most scrutinized team among the playoff hopefuls if it survives the Irish.

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