College Football Playoff 2020: Projected top 4 after Week 9

1. Clemson Tigers (7-0, 6-0 ACC)

Going into this past weekend, the Clemson Tigers looked and played like the No. 1 team in the nation on both sides of the ball. There was a serious concern, however, with the news that Trevor Lawrence was diagnosed with COVID-19. This would keep him out against Boston College and on the road next week against No. 4 Notre Dame.

The Tigers found some significant trouble on both sides of the ball in the first half. The absence of Lawrence was the least of the worries for Tigers as they found not drive the ball consistently. Early in the second quarter, running back Travis Etienne fumbled the ball near the end zone which gave Eagles cornerback Brandon Sebastian a 97-yard fumble return.

In the third quarter, backup quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei led the Tigers to two different scoring drives to lessen the deficit to 28-26. The Tigers out-gained the Eagles in total yards in the third quarter 147-39. Uiagalelei passed for 342 yards, two touchdowns and had a 92.5 QBR on 30-of-41 passing. He also rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

The Tigers scored 24 unanswered points after the last drive of the Eagles in the first half. They out-gained the Eagles 448-275 as they found momentum throughout the game. They will now have to prepare a tough road trip to South Bend as they face No. 4 Notre Dame (6-0, 5-0 ACC) on Saturday.