Will Clemson receive College Football Playoff bye? Where Tigers are in latest projections
CLEMSON — Clemson football is on track to end its three-year drought of not making the College Football Playoff.
The No. 9 Tigers (5-1, 4-0 ACC) won their fifth consecutive game Saturday, defeating Wake Forest 49-14 on the road. They sit atop the ACC with their only loss coming against No. 4 Georgia in Week 1 and have only one ranked opponent remaining on their schedule entering Week 8 — No. 20 Pittsburgh on Nov. 16.
With the new 12-team format for the CFP, Clemson would receive an automatic bid and a first-round bye if it wins the ACC. If not, it can land one of the seven at-large bids and play in the first round. Clemson faces Virginia (4-2, 2-1) on Saturday (noon ET, ACC Network).
Here is where Clemson stands in the latest projections for the CFP:
Clemson football in latest College Football Playoff projections
ESPN: No. 8
ESPN's Max Olson tabbed Clemson as the No. 8 seed, and Miami as the ACC champion. It would host No. 9 Alabama in the first round at Memorial Stadium. The winner would face No. 1 Texas.
CBS Sports: No. 10
CBS Sports' Jerry Palm kept Clemson as the No. 10 seed and Miami winning the ACC. He projects the Tigers will travel to Athens, Georgia, to face No. 7 Georgia in a rematch of Week 1, when the Bulldogs won 34-3 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The winner would take on No. 2 Ohio State.
MORE: Clemson football had an average day at Wake. That bodes well for its bid to return to CFP
The Athletic: No. 9
The Athletic's Austin Mock projects Clemson will land an at-large bid. He has the Tigers as the No. 9 seed and traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face No. 8 Alabama in the first round. The winner would battle No. 1 Texas.
On3: No. 3
On3's Andy Staples has Clemson winning the ACC and having a first-round bye. The Tigers would face the winner of the first-round game between No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 Texas A&M.
Sporting News: No. 8
Sporting News' Bill Bender picked Clemson as the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff with a first-round matchup against No. 9 Alabama. This game would take place at Memorial Stadium, and the winner would battle No. 1 Texas in the second round.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Where Clemson football is in CFP projections after win at Wake Forest
