be a huge factor. Maybe if they win, the rest of the world will see why Dabo ranked them 11th. It wasn't because they aren't a very good team but because they didn't deserve to be there with other schools that put in time, effort, and experienced the wear, tear and grind of a ten or eleven game season.
My thoughts are that it wouldn't have made a difference in the final outcome because of Clemson's execution and scheme challenges, but I sense that there was a wear and tear factor.