Clemson’s Dabo Swinney says they’re ‘the best’ in College Football Playoff after defeating SMU in ACC title game
SMU trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
Clemson hit a 56-yard field goal as time expired in the ACC Championship Game to win 34-31 and earn an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers are ranked 17th nationally, so at least one team in the top 12 will be eliminated from the playoffs.
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(LR) SMU Broncos head coach Rhett Lashlee and Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney speak before the 2024 ACC Football Championship Game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
SMU entered the title game ranked eighth nationally and may now be an outsider.
The Colts’ fate rests in the hands of the CFP committee, but if Dabo Swinney is involved, his decision will be clear.
“That’s a playoff team. SMU, they better be in that damn playoff game,” he told ESPN on the court after the game.
“There’s no way they’re not going to be in the playoffs.”
Swinney and Rhett Lashley shared a lengthy embrace at midfield after the game-winning field goal went through the post, and it’s hard to imagine Swinney not sharing those feelings with the SMU head coach.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney speaks to his team during the first half of an ACC Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina Give a speech. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
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SMU tied the game on 16 plays with 16 seconds left, but Adam Randall tied the game 41 yards on the ensuing kickoff. Klubnik then found Antonio Williams for 17 yards, and the Tigers called timeout and Nolan Hauser entered the game.
Clemson and Arizona State will battle it out for a final chance in the quarterfinals — the Sun Devils defeated Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship game Saturday afternoon.
Clemson Tigers’ Nolan Hauser, No. 81, celebrates with teammates after the 2024 ACC Football Championship Game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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Of course, the organizing committee decided to switch to 12 teams in order to have more room for error; who would have thought it would still be difficult, given the controversy surrounding Florida State’s exclusion last year?
The entire field will be revealed on Sunday at 12pm ET.
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