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They have to think ahead with the ratings. With TCU, they have to be secure in the playoff if they remain undefeated. The decision is what to do if they don't go through that minefield of a remaining schedule without a major scratch (they probably won't).
Clemson not only took a nose-dive for its own performance, but their half-decent wins also look less impressive with yesterday's results and there's no way to make it up given a championship game against North Carolina, whose most impressive win is a home game against Pittsburgh. So the committee likely follows the polls and tells the ACC, "sorry, it's not happening this year."
I don't agree with the narrative that the Big Ten stumbled. As long as the winner of UM/OSU doesn't flat-line the following week against the western division winner (everyone but Northwestern is still very much alive), that's a two-seed. There were several weather games and Rutgers/Michigan had an uncomfortable score at half, but the stats were fine and the game was over midway through the third quarter. Michigan has outscored its last four opponents 100-3 in the second half. They've allowed 48 second-half points all season, which is only 8 more than North Carolina allowed in the fourth quarter alone to Appalachian State (they did win that game, though). Michigan's wear-em-out approach is even getting a couple of first-place votes away from Georgia, though I think Georgia is #1 until proven otherwise.
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