Week 13 has completely changed the landscape and now the competition is tough between the SEC teams. While seven top teams got to taste defeat, the dynamics have changed. But what about the ACC teams? Can Dabo Swinney see his team in the playoffs?

Well, they do not have the opportunity if they beat the South Carolina Gamecocks in the coming week. So far, the Tigers have performed well this season and stand at a 9-2 record but as the season gets closer to the playoffs, competition is going to get fierce. On November 26, Heather Dinich highlighted the same on ESPN’s YouTube channel. 

When questioned if the Tigers can make it to the playoffs, she said, “Only if they win the ACC because they need that win against South Carolina because they’ve got nothing else.” She added, “I’m guessing guys, I’m the only one of the three of us here who watched Clemson play Pittsburgh, and let me tell you, it was the ugliest football game I have seen all year long. 58 rushing yards on the ground. Are you kidding me? four-point win? That’s their best win so they better beat South Carolina if they got a win over the ACC to get in.”

Well, Heather has made it clear that if they perform as they did against Pittsburgh, Swinney will find his team in the hot water. Now, the 12-team playoff format has forced teams to change their game plays. Although the new rules help more teams to give a shot at the playoffs. It raises many questions about fairness. Considering that Dabo has raised his voice, he feels that Tigers are not fairly represented in this new system. Now Dabo’s voice can only be heard if they win in the coming week. Which is again not going to be easy.

Talking about South Carolina, they are more dependent on their run game, and guess what? The Tigers have struggled to stop the run this season. Recently, they were seen struggling against the Citadel Bulldogs. If the Tigers fail to slow the running game, South Carolina will take over, which can stop the Tigers from entering the playoffs. At the same time, their offense needs to get stronger and attack because the Gamecocks defense is their plus point. Moving ahead, let’s see what Dabo Swinney has to say before the big game.

Clemson Tigers VS. South Carolina: A top -20 clash with playoff stakes

The matchup between South Carolina and the Clemson Tigers holds greater significance than just bragging rights. Both of the teams hold a spot in the top 20 teams, which solidifies their playoff position. On Monday, Swinney discussed the Palmetto Bowl, but he was sad that ESPN College GameDay will not be present for the highly anticipated matchup.

“Man, it’s just something special about being a part of it, being in the fight.” He added, “Man, we’re going to have a tough challenge this week. It’s a really good team. But hey, two ranked teams.” Swinney very well knows how important the victory is for him and the team and we are sure he is preparing accordingly.

Moving on talking about GameDay, he added, “I guess it’s the highest-ranked rivalry game in the country this week. So you know, how cool is that? You’d have thought GameDay would’ve been here, but I think they’re mad at me because I didn’t move the game to Friday.”  The Tigers are all set to host their rivals, the Gamecocks, in Memorial Stadium; it will be interesting to see how the game unfolds.