Clemson is in the College Football Playoff. Who will the Tigers likely face and where?
Clemson has been waiting all season for an opportunity to showcase how it stacks up against the other top teams in college football. The Tigers are less than three weeks away from getting their shot.
Clemson has earned a berth in the College Football Playoff for the fifth consecutive season, it was announced Sunday, as the Tigers are the No. 3 seed entering the semifinals. Clemson is matched up with No. 2 seed Ohio State and will play the Buckeyes in Phoenix, Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 28.
LSU is the No. 1 seed and will play No. 4 seed Oklahoma that same day in Atlanta in the Peach Bowl. Game times for both bowls should be released later Sunday.
The Tigers have faced some criticism in 2019 for their weak schedule, despite winning two of the past three national titles. Clemson did not face a team currently ranked in the top 25 all season until it blasted No. 23 Virginia 62-17 in Saturday’s ACC title game. But Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has urged outsiders to look at how Clemson plays, not who it plays.
The Tigers have been absolutely dominant the past eight games, winning all eight by at least 31 points. Clemson’s offense is averaging 46.5 points per game on the season, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has thrown for 3,172 yards, with 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The sophomore has 20 touchdowns and no interceptions the past six games.
Defensively, Clemson did not allow an opponent to reach 300 yards of offense the entire regular season. Virginia became the first team to cross that threshold, finishing with 387 yards in the ACC title game.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 5:07 AM.
