Clemson Football: Clemson Will Be Left Out in the Cold Even at 13-0

The Clemson Tigers went from being an afterthought to the favorite to win the ACC after an impressive 8-0 start to the season, including three wins in a row over ranked teams. The Tigers are currently the No. 5 team in the BCS rankings and many believe that they have an outside shot at the national championship if they can run the table.

The problem is, the Tigers could go 13-0 and be left out of the big game.

Alabama and LSU play each other in a week, which will almost guarantee the winner a spot in the national championship. Unless something really bizarre happens, one of those teams will be representing the SEC in Louisiana.

That will leave just one spot open for a lot of teams that could make a case.

If the Tigers do in fact run the table, they will likely jump the Boise State Broncos in the rankings. Boise State hasn't played anybody all year, and the lack of quality opponents will cost them any chance in the national championship.

But then you have teams like Oklahoma State who play in the loaded Big 12. If they run the table, they would have wins over Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. That's a lot more impressive than Clemson's schedule. 

Even a team like Kansas State who nobody was talking about earlier in the year. Let's say they end up running the table as well. That would leave them with victories over Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas. Wouldn't that be more impressive than Clemson's resume as well?

What about Stanford who beat a ranked Washington team and would have to beat Oregon, California and Notre Dame. They would also probably have to beat Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship game. You could make a case that resume is just as good as the Tigers'.

Then of course you could also make a case for a one-loss team like a Alabama/LSU or even Oklahoma. All three of those teams have impressive resumes regardless of one loss or not.

It may not be fair to Clemson who is a very good team and fun to watch, but the lack of competition in the ACC may end up hurting this Tigers team.

To make the national championship, Clemson will not only have to win out but also may need some help to get there.

Let the debating begin.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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