Joel Klatt breaks down ACC teams still alive in College Football Playoff race

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt recently went conference-by-conference and broke down which teams are still alive to make the College Football Playoff. In the ACC, Klatt believes that four teams still have a shot.

He listed Miami, Clemson, Pitt and SMU as College Football Playoff contenders, depending on how the rest of the season plays out.

“We have speculated about the number of teams that could potentially go from that conference. And I’ll be honest, up to this point, I’ve been pretty adamant that this should be a one-team conference,” Joel Klatt said. “Now, having said that, similarly to the Big 12, is there a scenario where you get Miami and Clemson and Clemson gives Miami their only loss of the season and both of them go to the College Football Playoff? Absolutely.

“And so that’s how we’ll start with this is what I think is the best chance team would be Miami. The other is Clemson. Then you’ve got these two upstarts – Pitt and SMU. Those teams also still have a path to the College Football Playoff.”

While Klatt believes that Miami has the best chance to make the CFP, it’s far from a lock. The Hurricanes will likely have to win out in order to make the ACC Championship game.

“Miami, I don’t think they can afford to stub their toe in the regular season and still get in as an at-large team. They can’t afford to stub their toe,” Klatt said. “And really, I don’t think that they’re going to get into that ACC Championship Game if they lose a game, because of the way SMU is playing and Clemson. They could all be undefeated with Miami. So if Miami loses a game, there’s a real chance they don’t even get to the ACC Championship Game.”

As for Clemson, the Tigers have bounced back nicely after dropping their opener against Georgia. However, they have also played a fairly easy schedule.

It will get tougher down the stretch, beginning on Saturday against Louisville. If Clemson wins its next three games it should make the ACC Championship Game, regardless of what happens in the regular season finale against South Carolina.

Klatt believes the Tigers could also have a shot to reach the College Football Playoff by winning out in the regular season but losing in the ACC title game.

“Clemson’s gotta win their next three games. And then those last two may not matter as it relates to the ACC. So in their next three, they’re going to know whether they can get themselves into the ACC Championship Game or not,” Klatt said. “I’m looking at Clemson as a team that if they can run the table over the next three, they’ll know that they’re at least in the ACC Championship Game. And then you’re 60 minutes away from the playoff.

“If they run the table throughout the regular season, now it’s a conversation, because then they could be like an 11-2 team. And I know they would have that bad loss to Georgia in the opening week, but I could see them getting a nod at 11-2 as an at-large. So that’s a path for them.”

SMU and Pitt do have a path to the CFP and can obviously make it by winning out and winning the ACC. But Klatt feels that the Mustangs and Panthers will have a tougher time.

“Pitt is a little more dicey. They have an avenue. But they’ve gotta beat SMU. I think they need to beat Clemson in the next four weeks. … So I don’t really see it for them. But there’s a path,” he said.

“And then we come to SMU, and here’s the deal with SMU, they’ve gotta run the table. They’ve already got the one loss to BYU, so if they lose again, they’re not going to get into the championship game and they’re not going to get an at-large spot.”