Will ACC be left out of College Football Playoff for 2017 season?

The ACC has sent a team to the playoff system each of the first three years – but is there a situation in which the power conference will be left out?

In 2014, the ACC watched as the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles made their way into the inaugural four team College Football Playoff. The following two seasons, it was the Clemson Tigers who won their semifinal game and made it to the title game, coming home as the national champs last season with a thrilling win over Alabama.

In 2017, there is a serious chance and logical scenario in which the conference that has won two of the last four national titles could be watching from the outside come January 1st.

For a variety of reasons, including what has gone on in Tallahassee this season, the powers in charge of the ACC are sitting on the edge of their seats hoping that some early season hiccups don’t cost the conference the money and bragging rights (mostly, the money) that comes with joining the SEC and Big Ten as the only conferences to send a team each season.

When the season first started, both the Seminoles and Clemson were ranked in the top five nationally and there was serious talk about the ACC sending BOTH teams to the system this year. Now, with the Noles tanking and Clemson already with one loss, that scenario is out the window and officials will be happy with one team dancing.

While the first playoff rankings won’t be released until Tuesday night, a look at this week’s rankings show the conference is on the outside looking in, as Clemson currently sits at No. 5 and Miami – the only unbeaten team left in the ACC – comes in at No. 6.

Now, if  everything plays out and people win the games they should, the ACC would be fine since No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia would play for the SEC crown and No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Wisconsin would face off for the Big Ten title. That would leave room for the winner of a Clemson-Miami title game to get into the top four.

That is, if both teams get past this weekend.

Saturday, Clemson will play host to No. 19 N.C. State – a team with two losses, but neither in conference play and would win the Atlantic Division tiebreaker over the Tigers with a victory. At the same time, Miami will face off with No. 13 Virginia Tech, a team with a loss out of conference and who would lead the Coastal Division with a win.

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If both upsets take place and it’s the Wolfpack and Hokies playing for the ACC title, you can kiss those playoffs goodbye as both teams can’t do enough with their schedule to get into the top four. Thus, you can be willing to bet folks in Greensboro are pulling hard for the Tigers and Hurricanes this weekend if they want any hope of making it.