By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
We are one week closer to the Season 20 Playoffs and the conference races are heating up. As always, we will look at exactly how a team can make the playoffs before we get into the conference standings. Let’s do it.
How to Make the Playoffs
The top three teams from each conference will automatically earn a playoff spot. After that, there will be a league-wide vote on who the last four teams should be. If there is a tie within the top three teams, the following tiebreakers will be used (in order) to break the tie.
| Order | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Conference Record |
| 2 | Head-to-Head |
| 3 | Record vs common conference opponents |
| 4 | Point differential vs common conference opponents |
| 5 | Record vs common overall opponents |
| 6 | Point differential vs common overall opponents |
| 7 | Overall record |
| 8 | Overall point differential |
Conference Playoff Picture
| Rank | Team | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1 | North Carolina | 3-2 | 2-0 |
| 2 | Syracuse | 2-3 | 2-2 |
| 3 | Florida State | 3-2 | 1-1 |
| 4 | Miami | 2-3 | 1-1 |
| 5 | Clemson | 2-3 | 1-2 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 1-4 | 1-2 |
North Carolina holds on to their top spot again this week. They have started strong in the ACC, but they have a lot of work left to do. They will play Florida State, Miami, and Clemson in the final three weeks of the season. They control their destiny, but it will not be easy.
Syracuse lost their second conference game last week to Notre Dame. This does hurt them, but there is good news. Syracuse is still on the cusp of making the playoffs. If the Orange can beat Miami this week they will be tip-of-a-razor close to clinching a playoff spot.
Florida State and Miami are now tied in conference play thanks to Florida State’s win over Clemson this past week. Florida State holds the tiebreaker over Miami now thanks to their record against common conference opponents. Both could clinch an ACC title if they win out from here. However, both could also still miss out on an automatic bid. The next few weeks will be important for both teams.
Clemson dropped from 3rd last week to 5th in the conference this week. They find themselves tied with Notre Dame after the Irish won their first ACC. While both teams are at the bottom, they both still have a chance to make the playoffs. However, they need to win out. A conference loss will likely end their chances for an automatic bid. As luck would have it, they play each other this coming week. One will keep the dream alive and one will be starting their vote-in campaign.
