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Clemson is going to the College Football Playoff.
After blowing a 17-point lead in the 4th quarter, the Tigers were bailed out by their special teams unit. Following a 39-yard kickoff return by Adam Randall, Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser drained a career-long 56-yard field goal to win the game at the buzzer.
Here’s a replay of Hauser’s kick which gave Clemson a 34-31 win:
56 YARD GAME WINNING FIELD GOAL!!!!!!@nolanhauser as cool as the temps outside
@ClemsonFB | ABC | #ACCFCG pic.twitter.com/j9bnw0NQuF
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) December 8, 2024
Clemson won this game despite picking up just 27 yards in the 4th quarter.
This result will have seismic implications on the College Football Playoff. Clemson has secured an automatic bid into the 12-team field despite suffering 3 losses during the regular season.
SMU will now have to seek an at-large bid from the CFP selection committee. The Mustangs were ranked No. 8 entering conference championship weekend following an 11-1 regular season.
If SMU does get a bid, it would be at the expense of Alabama. The Crimson Tide were the last team included in the CFP selection committee’s projected bracket entering conference championship weekend. With Clemson stealing a bid, the conversation will shift to whether or not Alabama still gets in over an 11-2 SMU team that narrowly lost a conference title game.
The final CFP rankings will be revealed at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
