First off I’m not even entertaining the thought of SMU not making the playoff. The Mustangs showed the heart of a playoff caliber team down 17 in the 2nd half, and fought back to tie up Clemson 31-31.
That’s a playoff team… period 11-2 with a 3-point loss on a 56 yard FG as the clock ran out. I could not even imagine the precedent that would be set for knocking out an 11 win team that lost in that way from the playoff. Congrats to Rhett Lashlee and SMU for winning the ACC regular season, and making the playoffs in their first season in the ACC.
Clemson for all their warts finally played a quality team and closed the deal. This was Clemson’s identity all year. They largely played good teams close for a half or more only to fade as the 2nd half progressed. They were down 6-0 to Georgia lost 34-3. They led Pitt 17-7 in the 4th qtr lost the lead, and needed a miracle run by Cade Klubnik to win. They led South Carolina 14-7 in the 4th qtr and fell apart in the 4th quarter to lose 17-14.
Given another life in the ACCCG, Clemson led 31-14 in the 4th quarter and looked like they would cruise to a playoff berth. Then SMU mounted a furious comeback to tie things up.
A big kick return by Adam Randall, then a quick throw by Klubnik to get Clemson in FG range, and Nolan Hauser made the kick of his life and Clemson is headed to the playoff. A lot of Dabo Swinney critics have to be quiet this Saturday. That’s how you get a team ready to play after a gut-wrenching loss to your arch-rival.
How far can either of these teams go? Who knows… A lot depends on matchups, but what matters is you get in the dance.
Once you get there, anything can happen.
Good luck to SMU and Clemson after earning their way to the playoff.
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