ESPN's Playoff odds for Clemson going into weekend |
The scenario for Clemson football is pretty simple according to the numbers.
Just win, and they're in the College Football Playoff. FiveThirtyEight gives Clemson a near 100% chance with a 13-0 record on their own, and their chances currently, at a third-best 51% there, could raise by 12% with a win Saturday over Syracuse (noon/ABC) alone. The top-4 in odds there currently are Georgia (61%), Ohio State (60), Clemson and Michigan (37), with Tennessee on the quartet's heels (36). According to 538, there are 17 teams that have a 50% or better chance if they were to win out and therefore knock some others out in that mix along the way. Only Alabama (31%) joins that group above with 30% or better odds currently, ahead of current unbeatens TCU (19%), Ole Miss (15), UCLA (11) and Syracuse (7). ESPN's analytics team pares the CFP race to the same group of six with some different figures: Ohio State (81), Georgia (71), Clemson (54), Alabama (53), Michigan (52) and Tennessee (49). Ole Miss is next-best at 11%. ESPN also painted a 1-in-20 'chalk' scenario of Georgia going undefeated and beating Alabama in the SEC title game, Tennessee going 11-1, Ohio State going undefeated, Michigan going 11-1 and Clemson going undefeated, which produces: "If it does Ohio State and Georgia are playoff locks, and there would be uncertainty over the final two spots. "Clemson would be a 65% favorite to grab one of the playoff berths, followed by Tennessee at 58%, Michigan at 41% and Alabama at 23%. In other words: if the chalk holds, it could create an awfully interesting scenario for the selection committee."
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