Projected 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings for Week 13
By Zach Bigalke
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. postponed at Florida State. 879. 7-1. Clemson Tigers. 4. player
Even without playing in Week 12, Clemson has a rock-solid case for the College Football Playoff selection committee to list them among their top four teams in the first series of Top 25 rankings on Tuesday. The Tigers have seven wins on their resume against just one loss in overtime on the road at Notre Dame. A sixth straight appearance in the ACC championship and the semifinals seems right on track for Dabo Swinney’s team.
Of course, just like every other team around the country right now, they have to navigate their schedule in the midst of a pandemic. Just hours before they were due to play in Tallahassee against Florida State on Saturday, Clemson’s Week 12 game was called off due to COVID-19. The situation came down to a test result that was only received after a player already traveled with the team to Florida.
SOURCES: A Clemson back-up offensive lineman tested positive for COVID-19 from a test taken Friday. They received the results after Clemson landed in Tallahassee. The player traveled with the team. FSU officials weren’t comfortable playing because of potential spread.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 21, 2020
Should this result in a wider outbreak among Clemson players, this could snowball into a situation out of the Tigers’ control. In the race to reach the ACC title game, Clemson still holds a tiebreaker over Miami but cannot afford another loss on their record. If they are unable to take on Pittsburgh in Week 13, the selection committee could opt to drop the Tigers a few spots down their rankings.