Heather Dinich details path for three ACC teams in College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff selection committee rankings are out ahead of the final weekend of the regular season. There was plenty to glean from those rankings, including the improving position of the ACC in the rankings.

Three ACC teams — Miami, SMU, and Clemson — are all ranked within the Top 12. That puts Miami and SMU in the current bracket with Clemson set as the first team out. With that, as ESPN insider Heather Dinich explained on Get Up, there is a very real path to the ACC getting three teams in this year’s Playoff.

“There could because now that Miami and SMU are both Top 10 teams in the committee’s eyes and Clemson is sitting there on the bubble,” Heather Dinich said. “It increases the chances of the loser in the ACC Championship Game staying in the bracket.”

The ACC Championship Game field isn’t set entirely yet. Unbeaten in conference play, SMU has clinched their berth. However, Miami will need to win its final game against Syracuse to clinch their spot in the game. If the Hurricanes drop that game, it would open up a spot in the ACC Championship Game for Clemson. That would also be a major disruption to the ACC getting three teams in the Playoff.

However, assuming chalk in the final week and a Miami win over Syracuse, Dinich emphasized that there’s still a path for Clemson as an at-large.

“Then, you have Clemson. If Clemson beats South Carolina, what they need to do in the eyes of the committee would be bump up ahead of Boise State in the rankings. If you look at the ranking on the left [on screen], Clemson is the first team out,” Dinich said. “Again, if you’re in that number 12 spot, you get bumped out for the fifth highest-ranked conference champion, which today would be [Arizona State] out of the Big 12, but if they’re above Boise State with a South Carolina win, Boise State would be 12th ranked and the 12 seed. They would both be safe.”

Standing in Clemson’s way of becoming an at-large bid is rival South Carolina. The Gamecocks are coming into the game hot, having won five games in a row. With that, South Carolina feels it has its own shot at an at-large bid, especially if they can add a marquee win. So, that game could be vital to the bubble of the Playoff.

Warde Manuel discusses how Clemson-South Carolina winner could see College Football Playoff resume boosted

Immediately following the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings being revealed, chair Warde Manuel discussed how the Clemson-South Carolina winner could boost their resume.

“I’ll continue to say we don’t look forward and we don’t project, but winning always helps. I will say that,” Manuel said. “When teams win, we value what they do. I don’t know what that would mean towards where they will be in projecting, but there is value in winning games.”