Clemson's Road to an Improbable CFP Appearance Starts Now

The Clemson Tigers are entering their Saturday matchup against Virginia Tech with a record of 4-2, having just defeated Charleston Southern by a score of 37-0 last weekend.

Clemson's only two losses this season have come against ranked opponents: to LSU in Week 1 and to Miami in Week 5. The Tigers were routed in both games, showing they aren't quite ready to play with the big boys just yet.

But Clemson has gone undefeated against unranked squads, and the good news is that the Tigers do not have a singled ranked team remaining on their schedule.

That starts with the Hokies on Saturday evening, which will be a bit of a challenge.

Virginia Tech is 5-2 and boasts an impressive offense, so this certainly won't be a cakewalk for Clemson at Memorial Stadium.

But this could represent the start of a nostalgic run for the Tigers.

The Hokies may very well be the toughest opponent left on Clemson's slate. Or, at the very least, the Tigers won't face anyone significantly better.

So if Clemson is able to come away with a victory here in Week 8, it could set the stage for a potential 10-2 campaign for Dabo Swinney's squad, and that could provide the Tigers with the opportunity to play in the ACC Championship Game.

Somehow, some way, a College Football Playoff appearance is not completely out of the realm of possibility for Clemson, as crazy as that sounds.

But it would take the Tigers winning out ... including a victory over Miami (most likely) in the ACC Championship Game.

Now, do I think that will happen? No. Clemson has far too many question marks, particularly on the offensive side of the ball where it has genuinely been one of the worst ballclubs in the country this year.

And let's be honest: while the Tigers don't have anyone particularly frightening on their schedule from here on out, no one on Clemson's schedule is afraid of Clemson, either.

It sounds weird to say given how dominant the Tigers once were not too long ago, but it is the unadulterated truth.

That being said, we cannot entirely rule out the chance of Clemson actually making a legitimate run over the final six games of the regular season.

After Virginia Tech, the Tigers will have matchups at Florida State and at Syracuse. They will then host Georgia Tech before traveling to Duke. Then, to end its regular season, Clemson will have South Carolina at home.

Duke is the only one of those squads currently over .500, so the idea of the Tigers going 10-2 is not completely outlandish.

Whether or not Clemson actually has the wherewithal to do it, however, remains to be seen.

It starts Saturday night against Virginia Tech.