GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Three-loss Clemson won the ACC in dramatic fashion Saturday night and is heading to the College Football Playoff.
But at the expense of whom?
In the era of the 12-team CFP, Clemson might have beaten SMU twice on the same night -- first on the field, and again by bumping the Mustangs out of the committee's No. 12 spot to make room for itself as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion.
Or will the committee look favorably on the Mustangs' second-half comeback and bump three-loss Alabama instead?
While Georgia's win against Texas in the SEC title game will cause some movement at the top, and Arizona State's Big 12 title gave the Sun Devils a much-needed boost, there was likely no bigger ripple effect Saturday night than Clemson winning the ACC.
Here's the final prediction of what the CFP committee's bracket and top 25 might look like on Selection Day. This is based on what the selection committee has done to this point, what chair Warde Manuel has said about the field and its possibilities, and how the panel has already evaluated the teams to this point.
Remember, the top four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes, and the top five conference champions receive entry into the field.
