Clemson, Georgia matchup has big College Football Playoff implications

Week one of college football contains some great matchups out of the gate. One of the most intriguing games of the weekend will be No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 5 Georgia. The matchup comes in as On3’s best game of week one. Despite it coming so early in the season, the game between Clemson and Georgia could have huge implications on the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.

The loser of Clemson-Georgia could have a tough road to making the Playoff

Whoever wins the week one matchup between Clemson and Georgia will have a huge early leg up on the rest of the field in College Football Playoff conversations. The winner of the game will likely be ranked in the top three heading into week two. The loser, however, could have an early disadvantage in Playoff conversations. While the loser is unlikely to fall very far in the rankings, if Georgia and Clemson are both vying for spots in the Playoff at the year’s end, the loser is in a bad position.

“With college football and the committee, you get into December and the end of the year and the term they use is cluster,” Herbstreit said. “You’ve got the first team, second team, third team, and then you’ve got four, five, six, and seven. These teams are in a cluster together. The committee tries to separate that cluster by trying to use either head-to-head competition, are you a conference champion, whatever it might be.

“If you’re Clemson, and you were to lose to Georgia, there is a really good chance that both Clemson and Georgia could end up in that top six. The last thing you want at the end of the year, if you lose that head-to-head matchup, that’s a game changer. You will lose that argument every single time. With that in mind, I really feel that, even though it’s week one, if at the end of the year you’re looking across the table and that’s the team you lost to in week one, you’re going to be left out. There is a lot at stake in that game in Charlotte.”

The game will be the start of a new era for both teams

For Clemson, they are entering the first season of the post-Trevor Lawrence era. D.J. Uiagalelei is set to take over at quarterback for the Tigers. He got game experience last season in a couple of games and looked very impressive. His ability continue playing at a high level is an important factor to Clemson’s success.

For Georgia, J.T. Daniels enters his first full season as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback. After suffering a torn ACL earlier in his career and joining Georgia late last season, Daniels impressed. If he can continue that success, Georgia could make a serious run.

Both Clemson and Georgia have great defensive teams. There are plenty of skill players at all positions on both rosters. Despite the fact that it is week one, the winner of this game between Clemson and Georgia could have an early leg up on the College Football Playoff race.