Clemson out of CFP discussion with shocking loss to South Carolina
The South Carolina Gamecocks came up with a huge upset victory over No. 8 Clemson to knock the Tigers out of the conversation for the College Football Playoff.
South Carolina (8-4, 4-4 in SEC) secured the 31-30 win over Clemson (10-2, 8-0 in ACC) on Antonio Williams' fumble on a punt return.
Clemson needed wins against South Carolina today and North Carolina in next week's ACC Championship to have a chance for a playoff berth.
After defeating then-No. 5 Tennessee a week ago, South Carolina has wins against top 10 opponents in back-to-back games for the first time in program history.
The Clemson loss not only means there is one less contender for the CFP, but it also means No. 2 Ohio State (11-1, 8-1 in Big Ten) has a legitimate pathway to the playoff even after its blowout 45-23 loss to No. 3 Michigan (12-0, 9-0 in Big Ten).
If Notre Dame (8-3) defeats USC (10-1, 8-1 in Pac-12) Saturday night, that would effectively leave No. 5 LSU (9-2, 6-1 in SEC) as the only threat to the Buckeyes' CFP dreams. A date with No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0 in SEC) in the SEC Championship Game awaits LSU. The Bulldogs are heavy favorites; if that holds, Ohio State won't have any competition for the fourth seed in the playoff.
If USC or LSU wins out (bless the committee members' hearts if they both do), Ohio State will join Clemson in the trash heap.
Clemson hoped strong performances in its final two games would be enough to warrant consideration for a spot in the top four of the final rankings. After an ugly outing from QB D.J. Uiagalelei, it's fair to wonder if the Tigers will be able to keep pace with North Carolina and QB Drake Maye next week despite the Tar Heels' own struggles of late.
Uiagalelei was 8-of-29 for 99 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He finished the regular season 227-of-364 (62.4 percent) for 2,511 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Projected to carry the torch after Trevor Lawrence declared for the NFL draft, his inability to make the leap is a big reason Clemson failed to reach expectations.
There are still plenty of moving parts to keep the playoff field fluid. One big piece is off the board thanks to South Carolina's surprise win.
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