Clemson's road to the college playoffs have gotten tougher

Clemson's path to the College Football Playoff just got a lot tougher after losing 33-21 at home to Louisville on Saturday night. It was a slow start for Coach Dabo Swinney's team. They allowed the Cardinals to gash them defensively while tripping over their own feet on offense, over and over and over. Clemson managed to score late in the game, but it wasn't enough.

Trailing by 19 points in the fourth quarter, the Tigers scored a touchdown to get within 26-13 and then, without hesitation they kicked an extra point to make it 26-14. This cut their deficit to 12 points with 6 minutes remaining. That was a strange decision, as going for two would’ve put Clemson down 11 points. This would've given the Tigers a chance to even the game if they got another touchdown and conversion plus a field goal. This is instead of two TDs. 

Regardless, Louisville recovered the ensuing onside kick. Clemson players also appeared to have recovered it, but after a review, referees upheld UL's recovery, leading fans to throw bottles. Immediately after the refs confirmed it was Louisville's ball, the Cardinals scored a 45-yard touchdown to take a 33-14 lead. Clemson scored again (33-21). They failed to recover the onside kick but they were able to get the ball back following a stop. But with the Tigers trailing by 12 points and no timeouts, they couldn’t stop the clock. Time ran out for the offense at Louisville’s 13-yard line.