ACC in danger of being excluded from 2nd straight playoff

By CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) — Clemson’s loss at Notre Dame was a severe blow to the ACC’s hopes of landing a team in the College Football Playoff. Last weekend’s 35-14 setback at three-loss Notre Dame dropped Clemson from the list of the nation’s unbeaten teams. The Tigers moved from No. 5 down to a season-low No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25. Suddenly the ACC is in danger of being left out of the playoff for the second straight year. Even with only three weeks remaining in the regular season, the league’s coaches believe it’s too early to count out the Tigers or another one-loss team, North Carolina.