ESPN Analyst Predicts Clemson to Win CFP National Championship?
By: Robert MacRae December 14, 2024

ESPN analyst Sam Acho gave his bracket picks heading into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, and he went out on a limb with his prediction for the eventual national champion.

Acho, the former Texas and NFL linebacker, unveiled his bracket that features a big surprise to many – Clemson winning the natty.

“They’ve gotten better,” Acho said of the Tigers on ESPN’s “Championship Drive” show. “They’ve gotten bigger. Rookies, freshmen have stepped up. Young players have turned into dominant players. T.J. Moore, receiver, Bryant Wesco Jr., receiver, playing better. Cade Klubnik and this entire team learned from their mistake (against) Georgia. It was 6-0 at halftime Week 1, ended up getting blown out.”

Clemson (10-3) is coming off a 34-31 win over SMU in the ACC Championship Game. The victory earned Dabo Swinney’s team an automatic bid to the playoff as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.

The Tigers are the No. 12 seed and will face fifth-seeded Texas (11-2) in the College Football Playoff First Round Game at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21 (4 p.m. ET, TNT).

The Longhorns are currently an 11-point favorite, but Acho picked Clemson to upset Texas and advance to the quarterfinals against No. 4 seed Arizona State (11-2), which earned a first-round bye after blowing out Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason media poll, and nobody expected them to be in the playoff.

Acho thinks their appearance will be short-lived, as he sees the Tigers knocking them out in the second round.

“Arizona State, the Cinderella team, I think Clemson ends that,” Acho said.

Acho’s bracket then has Clemson playing top-seeded Oregon in the semifinals. The Ducks went a perfect 13-0 in their first season in the Big Ten, outlasted Penn State in the conference title game and are the only unbeaten team left in the FBS.

But again, Acho has Clemson pulling off the upset.

“Obviously we know how that’s gonna go, or do we? Upset No. 2, give me Clemson over Oregon,” he said. “Why? Barrett Carter, linebacker, finalist for the best linebacker in all of college football. I think he’s gonna have a big-time game. Avieon Terrell, brother A.J. plays in the league, and also Dabo Swinney, multiple-time national champion. That experience I think, when it comes to players and coaching, you’re gonna have a big-time upset.”

That upset pick put Clemson in the national championship game in Acho’s bracket, which has the Tigers squaring off with second-seeded Georgia (11-2) in the CFP National Championship.

The Bulldogs are fresh off an overtime victory over Texas in the SEC Championship Game, and they throttled the Tigers, 34-3, in the season opener back on Aug. 31.

Nonetheless, Acho picked Clemson to defeat the Dawgs and win it all – what would be the Tigers’ third national title under Swinney.

“The rematch, and of course, obviously we all know that Georgia’s going to… get upset by Clemson! Give me Clemson as the national champion – Dabo’s third natty,” Acho said.

“I think this is a great bracket,” he added. “I think this is upset central. A team that snuck in, right. Clemson was out. All of a sudden they got back in. They lost to South Carolina. All of a sudden Miami loses. Clemson’s talented.”

Acho also recently unveiled his College Football Playoff tiers. He has Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Georgia in the top tier – the “contender” tier – Clemson, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Penn State in the second tier – the “dangerous” tier – and Arizona State, Indiana, Boise State and SMU in the third tier – the “Cinderella” tier.

As for the “dangerous” tier, Acho explained, “These are teams that if you play them, you might not be on the winning side.”

“What do I mean by that? A Clemson team, they snuck in the back door of the playoff,” he said in an episode of ESPN’s “College Football Live” show. “12th-ranked team. But all of a sudden the defense, led by Barrett Carter, Nagurski Award finalist, the defense led by Avieon Terrell, freshmen like Sammy Brown – they could actually upset some folks.”

You can see Acho’s full bracket picks for the 12-team playoff below: