SMU rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough.
Clemson kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired to earn a 34-31 victory in the ACC title game, earning an automatic berth to the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers were ranked 17th in the nation, so at least one team inside the top 12 will be ousted from the playoffs.
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(L-R) Head coach Rhett Lashlee of the SMU Mustangs and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers speak before the 2024 ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina . (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
SMU, ranked eighth in the nation entering the title game, may now be on the outside looking in.
The fate of the Ponies is in the hands of the CFP committee, but if Dabo Swinney were on it, his decision would be clear.
“That's a playoff team. SMU, they better be in those damn playoffs,” he told ESPN on the field after the game.
“There's no way they're not in these playoffs.”
Swinney and Rhett Lashlee shared a long hug at midfield following the game-winning field goal that went through the uprights, and it's hard to imagine Swinney didn't share those feelings with SMU's head coach.
Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers talks to his team during the first half of the ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
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SMU tied the game with 16 seconds left after a 16-play drive, but Adam Randall returned the opening kickoff 41 yards to their own 45. Cade Klubnik then found Antonio Williams for 17 yards, and the Tigers called a timeout, pulling Nolan Hauser. , who drilled the 56-yard shot with plenty to spare.
Clemson and Arizona State will compete for the final berth to the quarterfinals: the Sun Devils defeated Iowa State in the Big 12 championship on Saturday afternoon.
Nolan Hauser #81 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates with his teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal following the 2024 ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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Of course, the committee decided to go to 12 teams so there was more room for error; Given the controversy over leaving out Florida State last year, who would have thought this would still be difficult?
The entire field will be announced on Sunday at 12 pm ET.
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