The ACC is just awful. FSU, Miami, Va Tech, and Louisville are supposed to be good programs. You are actually right though, Clemson should schedule at least one better non conference game a year.

The ACC is just awful. FSU, Miami, Va Tech, and Louisville are supposed to be good programs. You are actually right though, Clemson should schedule at least one better non conference game a year.

 

They've scheduled Texas A&M the last two seasons, have Notre Dame in 3 of the next 4 seasons, then Georgia one year and then home and home with LSU, then home and home with Notre Dame again in '27 and '28. That said, the Clemson schedule for 2021 is weaker than a 3 legged kitten in a snow storm...non conference games with South Carolina, Wyoming, UConn and SC State.

Keep sleeping on Clemson. Somehow Clemson is an underdog again I love it. As an OSU fan you should know better. I bet you would love it if SMU got in over Clemson, I know Bama would have last year.

 

If anyone on here is probably most guilty of "sleeping on Clemson" this year, it is me. It is hard to do nothing but eat oatmeal for 5 months, then be ready to tear into a tough piece of meat when it all matters. Plus, I think they are playing....bored, to be honest. Can they flip it back into "highly engaged and focused" when it matters? Maybe. Maybe not.

 

I'd take Ohio State, LSU, and Alabama (with Tua) against them on a neutral field this weekend and not think twice about it. So if that makes me sleeping on them, I'll wear that badge.

The ACC is just awful. FSU, Miami, Va Tech, and Louisville are supposed to be good programs. You are actually right though, Clemson should schedule at least one better non conference game a year.

I have no issue with Clemson’s non conference scheduling. They have 2 power 5 schools in the non conference every year with South Carolina and someone else. I don’t really like that they still play FCS opponents, but I’ll give them a pass simply because they do play 10 power 5 opponents every year which is what I would like to see uniformly done across all power 5 programs (looking at you SEC).

I have no issue with Clemson’s non conference scheduling. They have 2 power 5 schools in the non conference every year with South Carolina and someone else. I don’t really like that they still play FCS opponents, but I’ll give them a pass simply because they do play 10 power 5 opponents every year which is what I would like to see uniformly done across all power 5 programs (looking at you SEC).

 

Unless you are going to give every conference a seat at the table, then anyone from a power 5 conference who plays an FCS team should be ineligible for the playoff, in my opinion. This is not like basketball, where you've got 25 games or so to make "an impression". There are plenty of other fish in the sea that can be scheduled, without dipping that low.

They've scheduled Texas A&M the last two seasons, have Notre Dame in 3 of the next 4 seasons, then Georgia one year and then home and home with LSU, then home and home with Notre Dame again in '27 and '28. That said, the Clemson schedule for 2021 is weaker than a 3 legged kitten in a snow storm...non conference games with South Carolina, Wyoming, UConn and SC State.

My guess is the 2021 schedule included another power 5 program at some point but got canceled similar to Ohio State/ TCU this year.

My guess is the 2021 schedule included another power 5 program at some point but got canceled similar to Ohio State/ TCU this year.

 

I think the reality is that the top programs actually struggle to get other power 5's to play them. If you look at future schedules, nearly all of the top schools have a weak year. They will have a great home and home for two years and then another home and home with another top school, but there is a one year gap in between. It's hard to get a top program to play a 1 year schedule.

I think the reality is that the top programs actually struggle to get other power 5's to play them. If you look at future schedules, nearly all of the top schools have a weak year. They will have a great home and home for two years and then another home and home with another top school, but there is a one year gap in between. It's hard to get a top program to play a 1 year schedule.

Bamas always been able to get that 1 year schedule, but even they are coming around to the idea of home and homes. If the consequence of home and homes is that we have one year of bad non conference schedules I think it’s worth it.

Bamas always been able to get that 1 year schedule, but even they are coming around to the idea of home and homes. If the consequence of home and homes is that we have one year of bad non conference schedules I think it’s worth it.

 

Bama has got the one year at a neutral location. They do have several home and homes coming up over the next decade or so.

Bama has got the one year at a neutral location. They do have several home and homes coming up over the next decade or so.

Bamas been the only school to consistently get the neutral site year after year.

Bamas been the only school to consistently get the neutral site year after year.

 

Saban has been pushing for the SEC to go to 9 game conference schedule and no FCS schools on the schedule but AD's aren't onboard yet.

Keep sleeping on Clemson.

 

I have them #1 until they lose.

 

LSU and Ohio State are neck-and-neck for #2, and then I have Alabama #4.

 

LSU will be the most battle tested among the major contenders.

I think the reality is that the top programs actually struggle to get other power 5's to play them. If you look at future schedules, nearly all of the top schools have a weak year. They will have a great home and home for two years and then another home and home with another top school, but there is a one year gap in between. It's hard to get a top program to play a 1 year schedule.

 

I think, in large part, the reason is you don't want to schedule anybody that is a serious threat to beat you, because of the convoluted way the playoff position is decided. It's better to go in with a weak schedule and be undefeated than it is to swap that FCS school for another top tier program and possibly be looking up at everyone else following a defeat. There needs to be more teams like Auburn and Oregon who are willing to go out on a limb.

 

That's why I think the best (and fairest) playoff schedule consists of 16 teams. Conference champions get an automatic bid, simply because they settle it on the field. Then you add 4 "wildcards" to the mix that allows for a conference to be "up" that particular year and have more than one team worthy. Once the 16 teams are decided, then you seed it. And this is where strength of schedule comes into play. You very well might have one (or more) of the wildcard teams seeded higher than a conference champ. Higher seed in the first two rounds hosts on campus. Semi's and Finals are at neutral bowl sites.

 

Can you imagine if Clemson had to go on the road for a game or two? I think they'd find a way to bolster their schedule. SEC team get knocked in the seeding due to scheduling an FCS team? I think that'd change quickly too.

I think, in large part, the reason is you don't want to schedule anybody that is a serious threat to beat you, because of the convoluted way the playoff position is decided. It's better to go in with a weak schedule and be undefeated than it is to swap that FCS school for another top tier program and possibly be looking up at everyone else following a defeat. There needs to be more teams like Auburn and Oregon who are willing to go out on a limb.

 

That's why I think the best (and fairest) playoff schedule consists of 16 teams. Conference champions get an automatic bid, simply because they settle it on the field. Then you add 4 "wildcards" to the mix that allows for a conference to be "up" that particular year and have more than one team worthy. Once the 16 teams are decided, then you seed it. And this is where strength of schedule comes into play. You very well might have one (or more) of the wildcard teams seeded higher than a conference champ. Higher seed in the first two rounds hosts on campus. Semi's and Finals are at neutral bowl sites.

 

Can you imagine if Clemson had to go on the road for a game or two? I think they'd find a way to bolster their schedule. SEC team get knocked in the seeding due to scheduling an FCS team? I think that'd change quickly too.

Absolutely no way conference champs from non-power 5 should get an automatic bid. Most of them would finish in the middle to bottom half of the power conferences.

 

Even at 8 teams, I don't think there should be auto bids. FWIW the committee has picked the right teams it seems, every year since they started the playoffs.

The automatic bid eliminates all this stupid speculation about which conference is better than the other. (And just to correct myself, there's only 10 conferences...so, there'd be 6 wildcards.) Like I said before, I trust them to settle it on the field more than I do a group of people sitting in a room.

 

And if we end up with an SMU or UC (UCF from last year), a Boise State or Appy State in the mix, who knows who might pull an upset every now and then. I think you have the potential to increase the excitement level across the board of the regular season, because every school has a chance to make it to the playoffs at the beginning of the year. Plus, if teams aren't afraid of being penalized for losing in the non-conference part of the year, maybe we'd get more matchups between the "big boys".

 

And as to the comment about the committee getting it "right"...the only thing we know is what the outcome is of the four (or two) they choose. But, remember when Ohio State got in instead of Baylor or TCU, and then won the whole thing? Everyone said afterwards "they got it right". But, how do we know Baylor wouldn't have done the same dang thing? We don't. And never will.

 

I know it's not a popular opinion. But, that's the way I feel.