When Tuesday’s College Football Playoff Selection Show debuts on ESPN, odds are the Clemson Tigers will not be watching it.
Second-ranked Clemson is expected to be the No. 2 team in the initial rankings selected by the CFP committee. Tuesday will be the first of six polls which will conclude on December second when it announces its four playoff teams for 2018,
“We’ll pay attention to it, I don’t know what time it comes on or have my DVR set or we aren’t having a viewing party for it or anything like that,” said Swinney. ”I’m sure it will be on a tv in the dining hall when we get done with practice and we’ll say, ‘oh look nice.’”
The first CFP rankings show will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN Tuesday.
“It’s not anything that will be shocking to anybody and it just doesn’t matter,” Swinney said. “As y’all have heard me say a million times unless they are going to cancel the reset of the season and we go play next weekend then it just doesn’t matter.”
On Sunday Clemson (8-0, 5-0 ACC) was ranked number two in both the Associated Press and the Amway/USA Today Coaches polls. The Tigers defeated Florida State on Saturday with a 59-10 victory, one of the more impressive wins of the college football season.
Many expect the Tigers, along with No. 1 Alabama, to contend for another national championship. LSU, Notre Dame, Michigan and Georgia are also in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Clemson still has regular season games remaining with Louisville this Saturday at Death Valley, a road game at Boston College and then two home games to conclude the regular season with Duke and South Carolina. For Swinney and the Tigers that comes first.
“We have too much work to do, anybody can beat anybody, and we have four more games to play trying to earn a 13th,” Swinney said. “We are doing everything we can to earn five more games and there is no victory at bargain rates we have to pay the price in full every single week.”
What the Tigers can focus on right now is achieving their second goal of the season, winning the Atlantic Division of the ACC. A win over Louisville next Saturday puts the Tigers in position to do just that when they travel to Boston College the following week.
Right now, the College Football Playoff is still just a dream for Clemson.
“It’s great for college football, the media, speculation, and energy for everything that goes on but for us it really doesn’t matter,” Swinney said. “All that matters for us is how we play against Louisville and that’s our focus.”
Falcinelli update. Swinney said during Sunday’s teleconference with the media that All-ACC center Justin Falcinelli will return to practice early this week.
Falcnelli did not play in the game at Florida State on Saturday due to a concussion he sustained at practice on Thursday, he is in concussion protocol.
Other injuries. Offensive guard Matt Bockhorst (ankle) and safety Kyle Cote were banged up in the win at Florida State. Other than that Swinney said the team is in relatively good shape.
Clemson will host Louisville at noon next Saturday.