The best team in the nation is one that lost to Syracuse

As the regular season came to a close for most teams on Saturday, a very odd realization swept across the college football world: The best team in the country this season lost to a 4-8 Syracuse team.

Thanks to No. 1 Alabama's loss to No. 6 Auburn in the Iron Bowl, there's little doubt that the defending national champion Clemson Tigers remain the top team in the land despite a stunning October loss to the Orange.

The third-ranked Tigers punctuated their season with a dominant 34-10 road win in their local rivalry contest with No. 24 South Carolina, and storm into the ACC championship game against No. 2 Miami next weekend. The No. 2 beside Miami's name won't last long, as the Hurricanes fell to unranked Pitt on Friday and will plummet in Tuesday's rankings.

That leaves Clemson or No. 4 Oklahoma as the likely replacement at the top, but here's why Dabo Swinney's crew deserves that No. 1 billing:

Quality Wins

Clemson's Week 2 non-conference triumph over Auburn looks better by the day after the Tigers knocked off Georgia and Alabama in a three-week span. Both teams held the No. 1 ranking at the time of Auburn's win, a fact that will look very good on Clemson's resume when Auburn likely crashes the top four in Tuesday's ranking. The Tigers have wins over seven teams that are bowl eligible, with an eighth likely after Florida State plays Louisiana Monroe in a rescheduled game next week.

Not only is Clemson winning games, but it's dominating its opponents for the most part as well. Despite its victories over quality opponents, Clemson has only had two wins this season by one possession or less. Oklahoma, with a much weaker schedule, has had three wins by one possession or less.

Strength of Schedule

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Both Clemson and Oklahoma sit with identical 11-1 records and will play for their respective conference titles next weekend. When comparing strength of schedule, however, there's absolutely no question that Clemson should take the No. 1 slot. Ten of the Tigers' 11 wins have come over FBS opponents with a combined mark of 67-49 this season. Oklahoma has played three teams with 11 or more losses this season, with the overall record of their opponents sitting at 69-75.

Injury in loss

While the loss to Syracuse is inexplicable regardless of circumstances, the fact starting quarterback Kelly Bryant didn't play the second half due to injury is something that must be accounted for. In his first season as starter, the junior has filled in admirably for Deshaun Watson, throwing for 2,426 yards and 12 touchdowns along with 639 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Clemson may have lost the battle to Syracuse in its October defeat, but the Tigers certainly won the war of attrition. The Orange haven't won since that contest, losing five straight by a combined scoreline of 216-110.