Kirk Herbstreit calls Clemson's loss to South Carolina a 'blown opportunity'

Kirk Herbstreit couldn’t help but make note of what could have been for Clemson when the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday.

The Tigers came in at No. 9 following a 31-30 loss to South Carolina to end the regular season, dropping just one spot from their No. 8 ranking a week ago. With LSU and Ohio State also losing last week, however, it could have been an opportunity for the Tigers to get back in the middle of the CFP race if they had won against the Gamecocks.

In the rankings reveal show, Herbstreit reflected on how the Clemson offense has been its downfall the past two years, once again leading to a “blown opportunity” for the Tigers.

“The last two years offensively, they just have really not been able to find an identity and make enough plays to be a dangerous team,” Herbstreit said. “Really a blown opportunity. You think about what happened in front of them this past weekend, everything that needed to happen for Clemson potentially happened. Just a missed opportunity for them to climb the ladder.”

Clemson had one of its worst performances of the season Saturday, turning the ball over three times and managing just 99 yards passing. Starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was just 8-of-29 passing for one touchdown and an interception, throwing for just 13 yards in the second half.

This is the second straight season that the Tigers will miss out on the College Football Playoff. They had previously made six straight appearances in the CFP from 2015-20 with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence as their quarterbacks.

Not all is lost, however, as Clemson still reached 10 wins for the 12th straight season, and will have a chance to win its seventh ACC title in the past eight seasons. The Tigers can also make the Orange Bowl with a victory against North Carolina in the ACC Championship.

However, knowing what could have been, it might still seem like a consolation prize as Kirk Herbstreit said, no matter where Clemson compares to the rest of the country.