The Clemson Tigers are the poster boys for 12-team CFP truthers. The faction that lobbied for this revamped format yearned for this exact narrative to transpire. A school that was essentially out of the reckoning entirely, but mustered a literal last-gasp inclusion. When Dabo Swinney’s Tigers walked off the field after a loss to South Carolina, the writing was on the wall. Clemson had seemingly blown their shot. External help from an unlikely source in Syracuse meant they were even in Charlotte in the first place. It’s got to be that intrinsic orange bond.

Once they were in the ACC Championship Game, the equation was straightforward. Win and you’re in. The construct of the victory they chose, was not quite as straightforward. A 4th quarter SMU comeback proved valiant as a 56-yard conversion for 3 meant the Tigers avoided leaving Charlotte with their tails between their legs. Dabo Swinney has done it again. Clemson is back in the CFP after a short-lived hiatus. Owing to their convoluted traversal to the destination, CFB legend and analyst Mark Ingram has a proposition for Swinney.

On The Triple Option podcast with Urban Meyer and Rob Stone, 2009 Heisman recipient Ingram acknowledged Clemson as the deserving winner. However, he thinks a recalibration of Clemson’s pathway to the CFP is requisite. “[Clemson] are the best team in the ACC, but they chose to schedule a tough out-of-conference schedule. They played two of the best teams in the CFP rankings. They played Georgia in week 1…then they played South Carolina and got a second loss. [The program] got 2 of their losses from SEC, non-conference scheduling. So if I’m Clemson, I never do that again,” said Ingram.

Ingram expressed that if Dabo Swinney and Co. had a schedule akin to their ACC comrades, they’d be even better off. “If I don’t have those two non-conference games, I’m probably a top 5 seed right now, and I don’t need all that extra stuff.” He name-dropped SMU and Miami to emphasize his point. SMU are in on the basis of their record, despite having no major scalps on their resume. Miami, too, played a relatively light schedule and only fell out of the top 12 due to their close, almost unsustainable wins catching up to them down the stretch.

The discourse around the strength of the schedule has been strenuous. As the final pieces fell, it turned out to be a moot point. The trifecta of 9-3 SEC teams with “stronger” routes fell victim to it. They have been left at the doorstep to the figurative party, while teams like SMU and Indiana are in. Clemson is also in, albeit through a window in the back. If QB1 Cade Klubnik’s reactions are to go by, they’re not particularly thrilled about who they’re pitted against.

Clemson’s first-round matchup is a homecoming for Cade Klubnik

Clemson, as the 12th seed, has been drawn against no.5 Texas. The Tigers travel to Austin as the biggest underdogs across the round 1 matchups. Oddsmakers have them at +10.5. Overcoming the Longhorns in their building beckons to irrefutably be a tall task, especially with that secondary at Steve Sarkisian’s disposal. This facet of the matchup, amidst another layer of personal interest, is not lost on Cade Klubnik.

Klubnik has been a revelation for Dabo Swinney this season. The Tigers have leaned on his arm on their run to the playoffs. Interestingly, Klubnik’s an Austin native through and through and attended high school in the city as well. In fact, some of his teammates from high school are part of the Longhorns’ roster. In a clip circulating on social media, Klubnik had a priceless reaction while watching the Selection Sunday broadcast. As the matchup was announced, his face expressed equal parts danger and disbelief. 

Clemson’s path to this juncture has indeed been a tryst with fate. The unlikely events on the way that fell in their favor typify that it was their destiny to be in the CFP. Klubnik’s return to Austin also feels like an extension of this destiny. Coach Swinney and the fanbase will hope this run of meshing good performances with a dab of luck continues.