College Football Playoff Committee Chairman Gary Barta said Sunday afternoon the committee never considered No. 2 Clemson for the top spot in the ranking despite the Tigers’ 34-10 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame in Saturday’s ACC Championship Game.
Though Clemson did have one loss and Alabama was undefeated, the Tigers one loss came at Notre Dame when quarterback Trevor Lawrence could not play due to COVID-19 protocols. Clemson was also without defensive tackle Tyler Davis, middle linebacker James Skalski and strongside backer Mike Jones because of injuries.
“It was noted in that game and going back to that game, as I am sure can recall, it was an exciting game that went into overtime,” Barta said.