Is there a happier person in America right now than Dabo Swinney?



Clemson hasn’t lost a football game in nearly two years, but on Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff committee’s first rankings placed Clemson all the way down at No. 5. Pray for N.C. State, the Tigers’ opponent this week, because those players are going to come out with a Guinness World Record-sized chip on their shoulder.



Here were my takeaways from the Nov. 5 edition of the committee’s weekly late-season dress rehearsal in Dallas.



No, Clemson is not in trouble



If Clemson goes 13-0, Clemson will be in the Playoff, initial No. 5 ranking be damned. In his comments both on ESPN and on a media teleconference, committee chairman and Oregon AD Rob Mullens explained why Penn State, not Clemson, came in at No. 4. The Tigers’ close call against North Carolina came up, but the issue seemed to be more about the teams’ strength of schedule (or in...