The Clemson Tigers know that it will take some help for them to earn their place in the ACC Championship Game and get into the College Football Playoff picture again.

But, the one thing they can control is their own success, as they cannot afford to suffer another loss. They knew that heading into their matchup with The Citadel in Week 13 and handled business just as you would expect them to.

They won 51-14, setting up a massive matchup next week in their annual rivalry game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The win, combined with utter chaos, has them surging up the most recent college football power rankings.

Heading into the week, the Tigers were No. 19 in ESPN’s ranks. They are now No. 13, knocking on the door of playoff consideration thanks in large part to other team’s failures.

“The Tigers picked a good week to play an FCS team. While chaos ruled the day around them, Clemson took care of business with a 51-14 win over The Citadel behind three touchdown passes by Cade Klubnik. The Tigers are now 9-2, marking their 14th straight season of nine wins or more. More importantly, the losses around them in the top 25 leave the door wide open for a playoff berth. A win next week against South Carolina would offer a signature victory over the SEC — home of the majority of the teams Clemson would be judged against. A Miami loss next week would also push the Tigers into the ACC title game, which could be either a blessing or a curse at this point,” as shared over at ESPN.

Next week is essentially an elimination game, as the loser of that contest will likely be eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration.

Given how much chaos ensued this past weekend, both teams have some more hope heading into Week 14 at making the 12-team field than they did heading into Week 13. It will add that much more excitement to a game that is already full of buzz.

A victory over the Gamecocks could be enough to get Clemson back in the at-large mix, especially if more teams ahead of them go down at the end of the regular season or in a conference championship game.

For example, they could jump whichever team loses in the ACC title game, whether it be the Miami Hurricanes or SMU Mustangs. It is anyone’s guess how the committee will handle things, especially because there are no head-to-head matchups between that trio.

The championship game participants will likely be determined by tiebreakers unless Miami loses for a second time in the conference next week against the Syracuse Orange.