Will SMU, Miami and Clemson make the College Football Playoff?

OK, so we know that SMU and Clemson will meet in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time in Charlotte, North Carolina. We also know that SMU is a slight favorite, as both FanDuel and DraftKings have the Mustangs as 2.5-point favorites as of Sunday morning.

However, we have questions about how the results of this game will affect SMU, Clemson and Miami’s chances of making the 12-team College Football Playoff. The College Football Playoff field will be announced Sunday.

The CFP rankings, which will be released on Tuesday, will give a better idea of ​​where things stand, although the CFP rankings are expected to be broadly consistent with the AP rankings, which were released on Sunday.

Which ACC teams would advance to the College Football Playoff if SMU beat Clemson in the ACC Championship game?

In this scenario, SMU would enter the College Football Playoff as one of the top four seeds at 12-1 and receive a first-round bye.

Even with the loss to Syrcuse, Miami (10-2 and ranked No. 14 in this week’s AP poll) could potentially make the 12-team field and play a CFP first-round game on the road. However, it seems more likely that the Hurricanes will be sidelined in favor of Alabama, a three-loss team ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. The Miami-or-Alabama debate would be a close call and draw criticism from ACC fans for a second straight year if the Hurricanes are left out.

Clemson, which would be 9-4, would be eliminated with four losses even though it reached the ACC title game and Miami did not.

An SMU win is the scenario that most favors Miami’s chances, but an SMU win also means the ACC may only get one team in the College Football Playoff.

Miami’s chances will become clearer when the CFP rankings are announced on Tuesday.

Which ACC teams would advance to the College Football Playoff if Clemson beat SMU in the ACC title game?

This is more complicated.

Clemson would enter the race as ACC champions, but whether there would be a first-round bye would be a 50-50 probability.

The Big Ten and SEC champions would secure two of the top four seeds.

The fact that Notre Dame, ranked fourth in the AP poll released Sunday, is ineligible for a top-four spot because it doesn’t play in a conference would increase Clemson’s chances of getting a bye.

Clemson, ranked No. 18 in the AP poll, could challenge Boise State for the No. 3 seed if Boise State beats UNLV in the Mountain West championship game. However, a 12-1 Boise State team ranked No. 10 in this week’s AP poll, whose only loss was against Oregon, would likely receive a higher ranking than a 10-3 Clemson team that beats SMU . Therefore, the Broncos are more likely to get the No. 3 seed as Mountain West champions.

That would leave one bye spot open, and 12th-ranked Arizona State (10-2) could clinch the No. 4 seed as Big 12 champion if it beats Iowa State (10-2) in the conference title game.

So if Boise State, Arizona State and Clemson win this week, the Tigers would likely secure a No. 11 or 12 seed and play a CFP first-round game on the road.

If Clemson wins and either Boise State or Arizona State loses, Clemson could sneak into the No. 4 seed and get a bye in the first round.

It would be difficult for SMU and Miami. At 11-2, SMU would have a good chance of securing a spot in the College Football Playoff and playing a road game in the first round as a No. 11 or 12 seed.

However, Miami, at 10-2, would likely be sidelined in favor of Alabama for the final spot in a close matchup, depending on what happens elsewhere.

In short, Miami hopes SMU beats Clemson to have the best chance of making the College Football Playoff. In any scenario, the ACC likely won’t put more than two teams in the College Football Playoff, but possibly just one.

What nonsense is this about a team not being “punished” for losing a conference title game?

We’ve been hearing from TV analysts over the last few days that a team shouldn’t be “punished” for reaching and losing a conference championship game.

Why not?

This theory suggests that a team can lose its conference title game but still not lose ground in the bid for a spot in the College Football Playoff. This is especially true for Georgia, which experts say will be invited to the 12-team national championship playoffs even if it loses to Texas and suffers its third loss of the season.

The conference title game is likely a football game against a quality opponent, so like many other games during the season, the results should be judged in that context. Finally, some spots in the conference title games are determined by tiebreaker scenarios that may not benefit the most deserving teams.

Florida State was “punished” for its performance in the ACC title game last year, and the Seminoles won that game. But because Florida State’s offense looked so pathetic in that game without quarterback Jordan Travis, the CFP committee concluded that undefeated Florida State didn’t have enough offense to play in the four-team College Football Playoff.

Why is it now a thing to hang a team’s flag on the opponent’s field after a big away win?

Talk about a provocative maneuver.

When a visiting team raises a flag on the opponent’s home field after a big away win, postgame fights almost always ensue. The most famous event took place in Columbus, Ohio, but it also occurred in two games involving ACC teams.

North Carolina players were not happy about North Carolina State players flying their flag on the Tar Heels field. . .

. . . and Florida State coach Mike Norvell blamed Florida coach Billy Napier as the Gators planted their flag in Tallahassee, Florida. Norvell refused to shake Napier’s hand and then ripped away the Florida flag. Going 2-10 after being ranked No. 10 in the preseason poll can make a coach a little irritable.

Check with the NCAA or conferences for a policy prohibiting the display of flags in the future.

ACC Player of the Year

Who should win: Quarterback Cam Ward, Miami — Leads the nation with 36 TD passes and 7 interceptions for a team that was ranked 14th in the AP poll released Sunday.

Who should go second: Quarterback Cade Klubnik, Clemson – 29 TD passes, 4 interceptions, 437 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs for a team in the ACC title game.

Who should be third: Quarterback Kevin Jennings, SMU – His numbers weren’t overwhelming, but the Mustangs are 9-0 with him as a starter and he ranks 10th nationally in passer rating.

Who should go fourth: Quarterback Kyle McCord, Syracuse – He is the national leader in passing yards and is fourth in touchdown passes (29) for a team that went 9-3 and overcame a 21-0 deficit to beat Miami.

Who should go fifth: Running back Omarion Hampton, North Carolina – Hampton is second nationally in rushing yards (1,660), but his team is just 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

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