Dan Mullen sees College Football Playoff path for Clemson, Miami

The 2024 college football season is underway and teams across the country have hopes of making the College Football Playoffs. On Friday night, ESPN’s Dan Mullen gave his thoughts on two teams he likes to make this year’s version of the CFP. The Miami Hurricanes and the Clemson Tigers.

“I have the ACC getting two teams in this year. And there are some questions after Week 0, the Florida State loss. But the depth of the league. Miami, Cam Ward coming in at quarterback, explosive players, exciting. Grayson McCall, a tough winner going to NC State, fits Dave Doeren’s personality. Everyone has said Clemson, the dynasty, it’s kind of on the downfall. I don’t agree with that. I think they have a talented team coming back. And I’m gonna go with Miami and Clemson, I think, both get in the playoffs from the ACC this year,” Mullen explained.

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This year’s version of the College Football Playoffs will be the first year where it will be a 12-team playoff. And we’ll get home games on campus for the games in the first round, which should be downright electric.

It’s easy to see why Mullen loves Miami and Clemson

Miami went out and got quarterback Cam Ward in the portal and few players in the ACC have gotten as much preseason hype as he has. Mullen certainly isn’t alone in his preseason praise of Ward. Big things are expected from the dynamic dual threat from Washington State, and he’ll have a plethora of wide receivers and running backs to give the ball to.

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The most proven wideout that returns for the Hurricanes is Xavier Restrepo. He hauled in 85 catches for 1,092 yards and six touchdowns last year. It was one of the best seasons by a wide receiver in Miami football history. He brought home first team All-ACC honors and proved to be one of the toughest players to defend in the country. Plenty of people have said he’s had an excellent fall camp, looking better than last year. That’s a major problem for opposing defenses across the country.

‘Canes receiver Jacolby George is one of the better route runners in the ACC and he hauled in eight touchdown catches last year. He should be even more lethal with Cam Ward under center this fall. And there’s yet another Miami wide receiver to worry about, Houston transfer Samuel Brown. Last year with the Cougars, he hauled in over 800 receiving yards.

When you look at the weapons for their passing attack and you toss in Oregon State transfer running back Damien Martinez, well it’s easy to see why Mullen is so high on the Hurricanes. On paper, the team is loaded with weapons all over the place on offense. It’ll be exciting to watch how it all comes together this season.

On defense, the ‘Canes have Francisco Mauigoa, and he’s one of the nation’s best linebackers. He racked up 82 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 18 tackles for loss last year. Then there’s Marquise Lightfoot, a former five-star EDGE rusher in the 2024 cycle. He was ranked as the No. 24 overall player in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Lightfoot was dominant in the All-American Bowl and in the ‘Canes spring game. Look for him to be an instant impact player for the Hurricanes this fall.

That’s just scratching the surface of a few reasons why the ‘Canes should be a force this fall.

More on Clemson and their weapons

Mullen is also high on the Clemson Tigers, a team that is loaded with weapons on both sides of the football. Quarterback Cade Klubnik is back, and he’ll have a youthful, but talented receiving corps at his disposal. Receiver Tyler Brown is back, he hauled in 52 catches for 531 yards and four touchdowns last year as a freshman. Antonio Williams is healthy coming into the fall. He’s a very talented receiver who has hauled in over 800 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his Tiger career so far. If he can stay healthy, Williams will be yet another piece of depth for a talented receiving corps.

Two of the more exciting pieces of their receiving corps are true freshmen that have taken little time to impress. Receiver Bryant Wesco impressed in the spring. He was ranked as the No. 60 overall player in the 2024 cycle and many are expecting him to make quite the impact this fall.

The same goes for T.J. Moore, who was unbelievably dominant in the All-American Game (11 catches, 180 yards, two touchdowns). Some of his teammates have said after watching him in fall camp, he simply does not drop the football. His film and highlights back that up. The sky is the limit and he’ll be a name to watch this fall and beyond.

Then there’s Clemson running back Phil Mafah, who piled up over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns last year. He’s one of the nation’s best at his position and he’ll be yet another impressive weapon for the Tigers to utilize on offense.

On defense, the Tigers roll out elite playmakers such as Peter Woods and Barrett Carter. Both players are among the nation’s best at their respective positions.

That’s just a brief look at a number of the reasons why Clemson should be a contender for the College Football Playoff this fall.