{"id":134758,"date":"2024-12-08T15:14:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T08:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134758"},"modified":"2024-12-08T15:14:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T08:14:48","slug":"after-clemsons-last-gasp-thriller-college-football-playoff-committee-faces-a-massive-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134758","title":{"rendered":"After Clemson&#8217;s last-gasp thriller, College Football Playoff committee faces a massive decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/.hfDTPMFwVbsPqjQEBw4Tw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/1c596c40-b523-11ef-a7f7-31e57e29a746\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img has-preview\" alt=\"Clemson is in the College Football Playoff after freshman Nolan Hauser kicked a game-winning 56-yard field goal to beat SMU in the ACC title game. (Grant Halverson\/Getty Images)\" bad-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/HhQ9coc7MxCD16p5vg1ZNg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/1c596c40-b523-11ef-a7f7-31e57e29a746\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/HhQ9coc7MxCD16p5vg1ZNg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/1c596c40-b523-11ef-a7f7-31e57e29a746\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Clemson is in the College Football Playoff after freshman Nolan Hauser kicked a game-winning 56-yard field goal to beat SMU in the ACC title game. (Grant Halverson\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>CHARLOTTE \u2014 Dabo Swinney glared into an ESPN camera to deliver a warning to the College Football Playoff selection committee, not about his team but the one his team just beat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cListen,\u201d he said, \u201cthat&#8217;s a playoff football team. SMU better be in the dang playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It is not often that a coach, immediately after a heart-pounding victory, not just praises but lobbies on behalf of his opponent. But on Saturday night, in this new, odd playoff expansion world, that\u2019s what happened here just before the clock struck midnight on the east coast.<\/p>\n<p>The story on this night should be <a data-i13n=\"cpos:1;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/clemson-wins-acc-championship-automatic-playoff-berth-on-walkoff-field-goal-to-defeat-smu-3431-045306931.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:how Clemson won the ACC championship game;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">how Clemson won the ACC championship game<\/a>: in a wild, furious final few seconds, on the foot of freshman kicker Nolan Hauser, a Charlotte metro-area native whose title game-record 56-yard field goal as time expired split the uprights and sparked an orange-coated eruption at Bank of America Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s another story here, perhaps one that is more important: With <a data-i13n=\"cpos:2;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/ncaaf\/clemson-tigers-smu-mustangs-202412070082\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:its 34-31 win over SMU;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">its 34-31 win over SMU<\/a>, Clemson became the first-ever College Football Playoff bid stealer. For some team \u2014 SMU or Alabama \u2014 the bubble has popped. And for the ACC\u2019s football dynasty \u2014 the Clemson Tigers \u2014 a playoff spot, improbable just a week ago, is secured.<\/p>\n<p>Bludgeoned by Georgia to open the season, whipped by Louisville midway through and beaten at home by South Carolina just last week, Dabo\u2019s Tigers couldn\u2019t possibly make the playoff, right?<\/p>\n<p>Here they are. Swinney is back in football\u2019s newly expanded big dance. The Tigers (10-3) will grab the final of the five automatic bids designated for the five highest-ranked conference champions. We think. We won\u2019t know for sure until around Noon ET on Sunday when the selections are unveiled on ESPN.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a good chance that Swinney\u2019s group will be the No. 11 or 12 seed with a first-round game on the road against several possibilities, including Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Things are a bit more suspenseful for SMU. Are the Mustangs still in the field? Ranked No. 8 entering this game, they needed to avoid one thing on Saturday: getting the doors kicked in. Down 24-7 at halftime, it appeared as if the doors were on their way to being kicked in. Alas, coach Rhett Lashlee\u2019s Ponies stormed back with a wild second-half effort, most of it resting on the shoulder of quarterback Kevin Jennings and his 31 completions and 304 yards.<\/p>\n<p>They roared back to tie the game with 16 seconds left and, seemingly, send it to overtime before a wild set of events: Clemson\u2019s Adam Randall picked a perfect time for his biggest kick return of the year, 41 yards, that set up a 17-yard completion to position the Tigers, as seconds ticked down, for the 56-yard boot.<\/p>\n<p>Heart pounding. Heart wrenching.<\/p>\n<p>Rollicking. Rewarding.<\/p>\n<p>And now, back in Dallas, not far from the SMU campus actually, the selection committee\u2019s Saturday night and Sunday morning \u2014 when they make their final picks \u2014 got a lot more interesting.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve got two teams for one spot:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; an 11-2 ACC runner-up with zero top-25 wins and a 75th-ranked strength of schedule, with its two losses against top-20 teams.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; a 9-3 SEC fourth-place finisher with two top-15 wins, an 18th-ranked strength of schedule, with two of its losses to unranked foes.<\/p>\n<p>Ranked No. 8 and already in the projected field before the title game, SMU sits at a precarious and precedent-inducing spot: Will the committee move out of the playoff field a championship game loser?<\/p>\n<p>Such a move could pave the way for the elimination of conference title games in this expanded playoff world, <a data-i13n=\"cpos:3;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3ZA8938\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:something ACC commissioner Jim Phillips (and others) have suggested;cpos:3;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">something ACC commissioner Jim Phillips (and others) have suggested<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He re-emphasized that on Saturday night: \u201cIt would create dangerous repercussions to the sport to reward teams that don\u2019t have to play an additional game,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>The SMU argument has plenty of merit. While a host of playoff contenders sat home on Saturday \u2014 Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Alabama \u2014 SMU played an extra game. Why should it be penalized? And, oh, there is that game two weeks ago when <a data-i13n=\"cpos:4;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/oklahoma-stuns-no-7-alabama-24-3-to-likely-end-tides-playoff-hopes-035508357.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Alabama lost 24-3 at 6-6 Oklahoma;cpos:4;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Alabama lost 24-3 at 6-6 Oklahoma<\/a>, one of the ugliest defeats for any playoff contender.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, there is the other side from the folks in Tuscaloosa: The Mustangs got beat on a neutral field by a three-loss team that got hammered by SEC champion Georgia and beat by SEC fifth-place finisher South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>SMU can look to themselves for Saturday. In the first half alone, the Mustangs turned it over twice, dropped three passes and committed three critical 15-yard penalties that put them in that 17-point hole.<\/p>\n<p>But their comeback can\u2019t be ignored, said Lashlee, who gave an impassioned defense of his club and its playoff chances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they showed the championship makeup they have the way they battled back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be criminal if we are not in. It would be wrong not just to our team but to what college football stands for,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could have not showed up [for the ACC championship game] and according to what we saw Tuesday night [in the rankings], we\u2019d be in. We showed it. We should be in. They know we should be in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As he spoke at the postgame news conference, Lashlee said his team was in the locker room not just struggling with the loss but the possibility of being left out of the playoff: \u201cTheir faith in the system is shaken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, the SMU-Bama debate comes down to an SEC vs. ACC debate. Last year, the SEC won that debate in one of the most controversial decisions (Alabama over Florida State) in CFP history.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/hqSSVnELSMYZot7mGqHmug--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/b4907c40-b525-11ef-b7f7-2d099e9b6832\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Will Rhett Lashlee and SMU still make the playoff field after Saturday's loss to Clemson in the ACC title game? (Grant Halverson\/Getty Images)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/l7bauSqCRh6rT6dpjvtVvw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/b4907c40-b525-11ef-b7f7-2d099e9b6832\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Will Rhett Lashlee and SMU still make the playoff field after Saturday's loss to Clemson in the ACC title game? (Grant Halverson\/Getty Images)\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/l7bauSqCRh6rT6dpjvtVvw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-12\/b4907c40-b525-11ef-b7f7-2d099e9b6832\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Will Rhett Lashlee and SMU still make the playoff field after Saturday&#8217;s loss to Clemson in the ACC title game? (Grant Halverson\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>On Saturday night and into the wee hours of Sunday morning, the 13-member selection committee will gather to decide such things in their spacious conference room in the Gaylord Texan, a resort in suburban Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>Six athletic directors, four former coaches, two former players and an ex-media member will determine the fate of the Ponies and the Tide. But there\u2019s much more to discuss, too, several key decisions that\u2019ll have committee members squirming as they slurp down their free ice cream:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; How will they seed the other championship game losers, Penn State and Texas, relative to Notre Dame and Ohio State? Remember, Penn State lost at home to Ohio State, and Texas has zero top-25 wins this season.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Does Arizona State jump in front of Boise State for the No. 3 seed?<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Does Clemson jump in front of Arizona State for the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye? The Tigers were 17th and Sun Devils 15th entering this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Decisions, decisions.<\/p>\n<p>But the most important of them could set a precedent for years to come related to conference championship games.<\/p>\n<p><em>Does SMU fall out of the field completely?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In October, the CFP\u2019s new executive director, Rich Clark, was asked how the committee might treat conference championship game losers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell,\u201d he said, \u201cit depends on what the loss looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how it looked: The game-winning 56-yard field goal would not have been good from 58.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/after-clemsons-last-gasp-thriller-college-football-playoff-committee-faces-a-massive-decision-054808448.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clemson is in the College Football Playoff after freshman Nolan Hauser kicked a game-winning 56-yard field goal to beat SMU in the ACC title game. (Grant Halverson\/Getty Images) CHARLOTTE \u2014 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134758\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134758\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}