Clemson's playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread, after losing to Ga Tech

Clemson's football season has spiraled from bad to worse, teetering on the edge of disaster after a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday.

The Tigers, led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, found themselves trailing Georgia Tech 13-0 in their ACC and road opener before mounting a comeback to tie the game at 21-21 with just 3:26 left on the clock. But Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King orchestrated a late drive into field-goal range, setting the stage for kicker Aidan Birr to nail a career-long 55-yard field goal as time expired. The dramatic finish sent Georgia Tech fans flooding onto the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium, celebrating a historic upset that snapped a nine-game losing streak to Clemson and propelled the Yellow Jackets to a 3-0 start.

For Clemson, the loss was a gut punch. The preseason No. 4 team now sits at 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC, relinquishing control of their destiny in the conference championship race. To reach the ACC title game in Charlotte and keep their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive, the Tigers must now win out and hope for help from others. ESPN’s analytics paint a grim picture: Clemson’s CFP chances have plummeted to just 5.4%, a shocking statistic for a team once considered a national title contender.

“That’s where we are,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney acknowledged postgame. Despite the losses to LSU and Georgia Tech, Swinney pointed to "a lot of good things" on tape, but the reality is stark: Clemson, once a preseason favorite, now finds itself in a precarious position at 1-2.