Both ACC playoff candidates did exactly what they needed to do in advance of the next College Football Playoff rankings release. Clemson and Louisville combined to beat their Saturday opponents 106-7.
1. Clemson. It would be a surprise to see Alabama drop from the top spot, but Clemson showed it is worthy of the No. 1 ranking. The defense shut out a challenging Syracuse offense, and the Tigers offense rolled the Orange even after Deshaun Watson left. Watson iced his shoulder after the win but said he wasn’t feeling any pain.