Until this year, Clemson hadn’t made the College Football Playoff since 2020, when they fell to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Since then, the Tigers have endured three straight seasons with at least three losses, including a four-loss campaign last year and another three this season—despite their return to the playoff.

The time for screaming at each other about who deserves to be in the College Football Playoff and who doesn't has come and gone. There's no more need for hypotheticals, whether sensible or not, because it's time to determine some winners on the field.