The 2024 college football season is coming to a close, and the College Football Playoff race is as hotly contested as it was in its first year, with a 12-team playoff format.
There is no clear champion in any of the Power 4 conferences, but multiple conferences could see big changes in the coming weeks, especially with conference championship games coming up.
One of the biggest races in the group, the ACC is a three-team race between the Miami Hurricanes, SMU Mustangs, and Clemson Tigers.
Miami is considered the group's favorite. The blow came in a 28-23 loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last weekend.In the conference, they fell to 9 wins and 1 loss and 5 wins and 1 loss.
SMU was the biggest surprise of the conference. SMU remains undefeated in the ACC this year, starting 8-1 and playing Virginia, Boston College and California on a schedule to close out the year.
Next up is Clemson, which is 6-1 so far in conference play but is 7-2 with losses to the Georgia Bulldogs and Louisville Cardinals.
The Tigers are considered the underdogs to win the ACC, as they will need help to make it to the championship game, and it will be an uphill battle to actually win a contest and make it through this year's College Football Playoff. It will be.
But as the season draws to a close, big contributions are starting to come in from unexpected sources that could help in the final push into the top 12.
Three-star freshman Ashton Hampton started in last weekend's 24-14 win over Virginia Tech, filling in for injured starting cornerback Ziedyn Lux and playing a season-high 41 defensive snaps. I accomplished it.
Initially, Hampton suffered some adversity by allowing a big run-up, but the true freshman bounced back with a crazy one-handed interception that ended up being the big turning point in the game as Virginia Tech nearly had a chance to tie the game. It became. . From there, the Tigers maintained a two-point lead, eventually winning 24-14.
“When you play corner, you have to have a certain amount of amnesia,'' head coach Dabo Swinney said. After the game, he talked about the young cornerback.. “That's a tough position to play. He had great coverage. You can't cover any better, it was a really great play. I said, 'Hey, that was great coverage. Next up. Go play.”
Hampton isn't the only true freshman to play a key role, with five-star linebacker Sammy Brown also expected to contribute, and Clemson added to its linebacker trio on Saturday.
He played alongside starters Barrett Carter and Wade Udaz, recording a team-high eight tackles on 31 snaps, five stops on nine pass-rushing snaps, 2.5 lost tackles, one sack, and two pressures. I also recorded times.
His play helped hold Virginia Tech to just 40 yards on 21 rushing attempts, which was key to the victory as Clemson's offense was not operating at its usual level.
The freshman's true contributions didn't end there, as an injury to starting left tackle Tristan Lee forced four-star recruit Elijah Sermon into the game, but he played just 2 in 40 pass-rushing snaps against the toughest defenses. He just allowed the pressure in the first inning. A country led by Antwone Powell-Ryland.
Overall, all three true freshmen had much-needed performances, helping Clemson get another win and remain in contention for a College Football Playoff spot.
Despite their contributions due to injuries, all three players could be key pieces for the Tigers to finish the season looking to make a breakthrough, showing some of the success Clemson has already begun to see with its freshman class.
They'll get their next chance to contribute this weekend against Clemson, which takes on Pitt on the road on Saturday, but at this point every game is a must-win.
