ESPN published an article (subscription required) on leagues that could dominate the College Football Playoff, ranking them based on top contenders and more.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich weighed in on which Power Five conferences have the best shot at multiple playoff bids, and when it comes to the ACC, Dinich isn’t on board with the ESPN FPI assessment of the conference’s chances to put multiple teams in the playoff.

The FPI says that the ACC has less than a 1% chance for multiple CFP teams, but Dinich “strongly” disagrees and believes that percentage should be “much” higher:

“Strength of schedule and no more divisions in the ACC. Clemson and Florida State can face each other twice — once on Sept. 23 at Clemson and again in the ACC championship game if they finish as the league’s top two teams, which is a strong possibility. Clemson could sneak in without winning the conference thanks in part to a win against Notre Dame if the Irish stay ranked. A road win at rival South Carolina could also prove valuable if coach Shane Beamer’s program takes another step forward and again finishes as a top-25 team. Clemson could have a regular-season win over the ACC champs, but lose a close game to FSU in the conference title game. If that’s the lone loss, the Tigers would still make a compelling argument.

“The flip side holds true for the Seminoles, who could have regular-season wins against defending SEC West champ LSU, and road wins at Clemson and Florida — but lose to the Tigers in the ACC title game. The same would obviously hold true for both teams if they lost to each other during the regular season but then won the ACC title.”

On the flip side, Dinich cited “inconsistency” as something that could prevent Clemson and/or FSU from getting in the playoff:

“Can either of these teams really reach the ACC title game undefeated or with one loss? Their schedules could either catapult them in or knock them out. Clemson’s defense is going to be outstanding, but the Tigers have a new quarterback in Cade Klubnik and new offensive coordinator in Garrett Riley. While expectations are high for both, Florida State, North Carolina and Notre Dame will have the edge in experienced QBs. Florida State beat LSU last year but couldn’t handle Wake Forest, NC State or Clemson, losing three straight.”

ESPN’s FPI gives the SEC a 51% chance for multiple playoff teams, while giving the Big Ten a 25% chance and both the Pac-12 and Big 12 less than a 1% chance.

We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class.  Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class. Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.

Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.