Clemson Tigers Win ACC Championship, Secure Spot in College Football Playoff

The Clemson Tigers were able to pull off the big win against the SMU Mustangs in the ACC Title Game, earning the conference title and an automatic bid into the College Football Playoff.

With a lot on the line for the Tigers, they were able to pull off a massive win for the program against the Mustangs. The win not only secures the ACC Title for Clemson, but it is an automatic bid into the College Football Playoff.

In the win, the Tigers were able to jump the Mustangs, as an early turnover really set the tone for Clemson in the win. As expected, quarterback Cade Klubnik had a big-time performance.

The Tigers were able to get off to a hot start, as they capitalized on mistakes early on by the Mustangs. Klubnik finished with 260 passing yards and four touchdown passes, as the 21 points they scored in the first quarter helped lead them to a victory.

For a SMU team that had a great season, this was certainly a disappointing performance. Early turnovers contributed to the deficit early on, and the Tigers did an excellent job making the most of the opportunity presented to them.

As expected, the Mustangs ran the ball well against Clemson. As a team, the Tigers gave up nearly 150 rushing yards, but due to Clemson being ahead in the game, it likely limited what could have been a great performance on the ground.

With the win, there is a lot to unpack ahead for the Tigers. While winning the ACC Title is a great accomplishment, they have also not clinched an automatic bid into the College Football Playoff.

It wasn’t too long ago that this seemed like a far-fetched dream for the Tigers, but they are now in the CFP and could get a bye week if they secure a Top-4 seed. Depending on how the committee views this game, it will likely come down to either Clemson or the Big-12 winner as the 4th team in the CFP.

This was an incredible win by the Tigers, as despite blowing the lead late, they were able to make a couple of key plays late in the game to give themselves a chance to win. Nolan Hauser knocked in a 56-yard field goal to send Clemson into the CFP, in what will go down as one of the best kicks in the history of the program.

Now, all eyes will be on the committee to determine whether Clemson will be the 5th seed in the CFP, or if the win against SMU was good enough to secure them a bye.