College Football Playoff: How Every Conference Could Get Left Out

The Tarheels may have a lot more to celebrate in a few weeks. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The ACC

Clemson has already clinched the ACC’s Atlantic division. They can’t play themselves out of the ACC title game, but they could Clemson their way right out of a playoff bid. The Tigers finish off their conference schedule at Syracuse and against Wake Forest. They should cruise to wins in these games and they’d better. A loss to either of those teams would be devastating, as would a loss during Thanksgiving weekend to the coachless South Carolina Gamecocks.

Clemson’s difficult early schedule has impressed the committee and helped them to a #1 spot in the first playoff rankings, but it means that their margin of error for the month of November is extremely tight.

The Coastal division is much messier. Right now UNC leads the division with 5 conference wins and no conference losses. Their only loss of the year is to South Carolina in week 1. It’s an ugly loss, but week 1 was so long ago that they Heels might get away with it. UNC could win out and make the playoff, but they’d need help from other conferences – Alabama or Florida would be a much more attractive one-loss team.

The Heels still play Miami, Virginia Tech, and NC State. If they lose one game but beat Clemson, two-loss ACC champion North Carolina would certainly find themselves outside the top 4. If Carolina loses 2, Pitt would represent the Coastal in the ACC Championship game. A Pitt win in the conference title game would hurt the ACC but probably get the Panthers a nice gift from the Iowa Hawkeyes, who handed Pitt their first loss back in September.

Next: How The SEC Could Get Left Out Of The Playoff