CFB Hall of Famer Randy Cross puts this ACC team on a pedestal

College football Hall of Famer Randy Cross watched with the rest of the college football fan base as the No. 16-ranked Clemson Tigers defeated No. 10-ranked SMU 34-21 in OT in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday. The win not only won the Tigers the ACC Championship, but it secured them a spot in the college football playoff.

Teams will have two weeks off before the college football playoff begins, and when it starts, the Tigers will play the No. 3-ranked Texas Longhorns in the first round. However, Randy Cross does not think fans should write off the Tigers. He believes that Clemson has some intangible attributes that could help them go on a deep run in the college football playoff.

"If you want to rate teams and a lot of opinions this whole week are gonna be, who's the hot team, who's gonna go, who's gonna be great? I love teams that have guts, the intestinal fortitude to never quit," Cross said.

"What Clemson showed Saturday night, they get down, they get tied with about 30 seconds to go, they have another timeout or so in their pocket. They get the ball, they go down, they take a 56 yarder with no time left to win that game. If you want a hot team, that's going to be confident, I'd look at Clemson."

Clemson will play in the first round of the college football playoff, but Randy Cross is confident in it

In the new 12-team college football playoff, the five highest-ranked conference champions make the playoffs. However, only the four highest-ranked of those teams earn a bye through the first round. Clemson was the fifth highest-ranked conference champion, and as a result, must play in the first round of the playoff.

Additionally, the teams in the first round are seeded based on their ranking regardless of whether they won their conference championship. So despite being the only conference champion playing in the first round, Clemson is actually the lowest-ranked team (No. 12) in the playoff. As a result, they will play Texas in the first round.

However, Randy Cross is still confident that the Tigers have what it takes to perform in the playoffs. They won their conference championship, whereas the Longhorns did not. He thinks that they have the intestinal fortitude to perform in tough moments. While Randy Cross did not make an outright prediction for the game, he seems confident in the Clemson Tigers.