The normal reaction to a loss is a stock down but the No. 17 Clemson Tigers find themselves in an odd situation. After losing to South Carolina and being given a second life, one game decides the fate of head coach Dabo Swinney’s team.

This was reflected in The Athletic’s stock update, where Clemson sat in the neutral section.

Clemson didn’t look all that impressive in a loss to South Carolina, but Miami losing to Syracuse gave it a spot in the ACC title game against SMU with a chance at a first-round bye. The Tigers fell to 9-3, but their Playoff odds actually increased by 11 percentage points to 53 percent, so I guess there is an argument that they should be in the “stock up” section. But considering they again lost to a quality opponent and have taken themselves out of the at-large race, I can’t convince myself that they increased their stock this weekend.

The Tigers are projected as the No. 4 seed, as my model has them as a slight favorite over SMU in the ACC Championship Game but unlikely to overtake Boise State for the No. 3 seed. It could be a tight battle for two byes between the ACC, Big 12 and Mountain West champions.

Austin Mock has the Tigers coming away with a win and earning a No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff. That would be a hard thing to believe after the heartbreak in Death Valley Saturday but the doors are wide open for Clemson.