Clemson Football: Tigers earned their College Football Playoff ranking

Clemson football rightfully earned the No. 2 spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, putting their destiny into their own hands once again.

The first College Football Playoff Rankings are out and Clemson is exactly where we thought they would be at No. 2. The Tigers only trail Alabama and are followed by LSU at No. 3 and Notre Dame at No.4. What does this mean for Dabo and company? It means, they are exactly where they need to be. Win out and you’re in the playoff.

With wins over three teams in the CFP Top 25, their resume is enough to keep them at No. 2 moving forward. Especially with a matchup against a ranked Boston College team coming and a possible matchup with No. 25 Virginia in the ACC Championship game. Lose one and they will need a lot of help.

Clemson being in the top four wasn’t a surprise. Some of the other results

LSU over Notre Dame

The first surprise: Bayou Tigers over the Irish? Notre Dame currently has the best win in the country with a win over No. 5 Michigan, while LSU’s best win is No. 6 Georgia. Their wins over Auburn and Mississippi State are overvalued at this point.

Washington State ahead of Kentucky

The second surprise: The Cougars over the Wildcats? Washington State checks in at No. 8 followed up by Kentucky at No. 9. Washington State’s only CFP Top 25 win is No. 15 Utah. The Wildcats should be higher with wins over Florida and Mississippi State (though overrated) while only losing to Texas A&M.

ACC Depth

It has been a bad year for the Atlantic Coast Conference, yet they have five teams in the CFP Top 25. Clemson is clearly the class of the conference. But should they lose a game, the Tigers may have enough credibility to still sneak into the College Football Playoff.