The Orange Bowl will select the highest ranked non-playoff ACC Team.
Clemson (8-0, 6-0)
I can’t imagine Clemson losing a game prior to the playoffs. They treated Boston College like an organized scrimmage. The Tigers are hitting their playoff stride, and only a complete catastrophic meltdown game would land them in the Orange Bowl.
Wake Forest (6-1, 5-1)
Wake Forest watched the carnage Saturday, and suddenly are the Orange Bowl front runner, and the ACC’s only other ranked team. They have to keep that 9-3, 10-2 finish in focus and they will right there. They host a bad NC State team this week.
Virginia (5-3, 3-2)
A special season is starting to slip through the fingers of the Cavaliers. The Hoos shouldn’t be 5-3 at this point in the season given the pre-season expectations. They have to go on the road to dangerous UNC this weekend. If the Hoos lose that, I can’t see them reaching the Orange Bowl.
Louisville (5-3, 3-2)
This is astonishing, but Louisville is a legitimate Orange Bowl contender. They already have wins over Wake Forest and Virginia, and they’ve already gotten Clemson out of the way. It’s still a stretch, but the schedule doesn’t look so daunting anymore. @Miami, @NC State, Syracuse, and Kentucky finish the schedule. The way Louisville is playing they can win all four, though I’m still seeing a 2-2 finish. The Cardinals have been exceeding expectations all season, so why not?
Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2)
Virginia Tech controls their own destiny to the Orange Bowl, and what a way to send Bud Foster out if that happened. It’s seems like a stretch, especially with Notre Dame next week, but a 9-3 finish would definitely give them a shot.
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2 pings
Hokie Mark says:
October 31, 2019 at 7:32 am (UTC -4)
Excellent article! I agree with everything except one point – I don’t think Clemson needs to completely collapse to end up in the Orange Bowl, just lose one game in the regular season. The Tigers could also end up in the Cotton Bowl – if they lose the ACC CG. However, 13-0 gets them to the playoffs.
Jfann says:
October 31, 2019 at 10:11 pm (UTC -4)
1 loss might be called a collapse for Clemson..