Clemson Football: 3 reasons the Tigers will make the playoff in 2023

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) during the fourth quarter of the ACC Championship football game with North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina Saturday, Dec 3, 2022.Clemson Tigers Football Vs North Carolina Tar Heels Acc Championship Charlotte Nc /

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Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry (5) pressures NC State quarterback Devin Leary (13) during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina Saturday, October 1, 2022.Ncaa Football Clemson Football Vs Nc State Wolfpack /

2. The ACC schedule

The second reason that I see Clemson in the College Football Playoff is its schedule. This is not a knock on the ACC.

There is talent in that conference, and there are three teams on Clemson’s schedule that they could definitely lose to. However, they will have UNC and Florida State at home, which will be very big for them.

They also will likely not have to win all three of these games to at least be in the conversation. Most of the time a one-loss team from a Power Five conference will get in. We saw this last year as TCU’s final game didn’t matter much as they still got in after the loss.

Clemson’s schedule is certainly winnable in comparison to the other contenders at the top. A 10-2 record looks to be the absolute worst-case scenario. I can’t say that about a lot of teams.

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