The TCI staff of Ed McGranahan, Hale McGranahan, Will Vandervort, William Qualkinbush and Robert MacRae go Around the Horn to answer some of the questions surrounding Clemson athletics and college football.
How much do style points matter for Clemson as it chases a playoff spot?
Robert MacRae – The truth is we won’t know if style points will matter until we get to the end of the season and see which teams Clemson is competing with for a playoff spot. Of course you can’t go back and change the outcomes at that point so you better get the style points now in case you need them. The ACC doesn’t have a strong reputation with many around the country and the conference isn’t helping itself this season with all the losses against other Power Five Conferences. The Tigers need to do everything they can to put themselves in the best position possible, so yes get those style points because they could be very important in early December.
William Qualkinbush: Style points are fairly important for Clemson this year, but they aren’t the most important thing. We are constantly reminded how difficult it is to go undefeated in college football, so if the Tigers can do that, all this is moot. If the Tigers happen to drop a game along the way, style points will be absolutely massive since Clemson doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt compared to many of the other contenders for those four playoff spots. The Tigers will have to prove they belong, while several of the other programs in its peer groups will have to prove they don’t belong over time. Going unbeaten removes all doubt, since there won’t be more than four perfect teams when the dust settles, but conventional wisdom says the Tigers will lose and will need to impress the committee to have a chance to accomplish their goals.
Will Vandervort: Style points absolutely matter. If you don’t believe that then go take a look at last year’s final ranking by the selection committee. Florida State, who had not lost all year, started at the No. 1 position on the selection committee’s first poll and then fell to No. 3 by the final one. Some of you might say that did not matter because Florida State still got in, but if the Seminoles stayed as the No. 1 team, then they could have played in the Sugar Bowl instead of Alabama. Think about it this way, FSU was undefeated and two teams with one loss jumped them in the ranking. Why? The Seminoles did not look good in winning those 13 games. Each week it seemed like they had to come back on what the committee felt was inferior competition. Also, think about it like this. So far this season, which teams have had the most impressive wins? Utah’s win over Oregon, Florida’s win over Ole Miss, Michigan State wins over Oregon and Clemson’s win over Notre Dame. See why style points matter. If the College Football Playoffs started today, by virtue of their win over Notre Dame, the Tigers would be in. Style points matter.
Ed McGranahan – Let’s be clear. An undefeated ACC champion will NOT be left out of the CFB Playoffs because it’s unlikely there will be more than four undefeated teams after the first week of December. One loss? Why take a chance. The simple answer is don’t lose. Style points might matter if five or more teams have one or more losses, which is why without a Big 12 championship game Baylor and TCU are trying to build their cases now.