College Football Playoff insider compares resume of Clemson, USC

Coming down the stretch of the season, there will be some College Football Playoff drama. Multiple teams are still alive to play in the CFP pending they win out and win their respective conference championship games. The Clemson Tigers and USC Trojans are two and could be battling for the fourth spot come selection day.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich compared the resume of the two schools, separated by just over 2,300 miles. She said they are “similar” on paper but have the chance down the stretch. Both could have the chance to play ranked opponents to close out the season.

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“On paper, they’re actually pretty similar in terms of resume,” said Dinich during a SportsCenter appearance on Tuesday. “I’ll be very curious tonight where South Carolina and North Carolina are ranked because it’s possible Clemson ends the season with two wins against two ranked opponents.

“USC also has that opportunity. If they beat Notre Dame and then win in the Pac-12 conference championship game.”

Ahead of Tuesday night’s fresh rankings, Clemson has two wins vs. ranked opponents, Florida State and NC State. USC has the same number, getting victories over Oregon State and UCLA.

The combined two losses (Notre Dame for Clemson, Utah for USC) are against teams expected to be in the updated top 25 as well.

Notre Dame will play factor when deciding between Clemson, USC

A great way to compare teams is common opponents, of which Clemson and USC share just one. Notre Dame will play a huge factor in this, assuming the Trojans come out on top of Saturday’s rivalry showdown in Los Angeles.

Dabo Swinney saw his team drop a game to the Irish, losing by three touchdowns on the road. According to Dinich, that’s something the committee will take notes on if there is a selection day debate between Clemson and USC.

“I mentioned Notre Dame,” Dinich began. “That is a huge separating factor between these two teams. Because if you remember, Notre Dame didn’t just beat Clemson, they beat them soundly 35-14 in South Bend. The selection committee absolutely compares common opponents and the Irish have the chance to be an X-factor.”

Of course, the game between Notre Dame and USC still needs to be played. With how well the Irish have been playing, they could be primed to pull off the upset and cause more chaos at the top of the CFP rankings.

USC has a huge opportunity ahead of them to establish a lead of sorts against Clemson.