Just my opinion. The only way Clemson gets looked at by the NCAA, is if they continue to win multiple championships. Right now they are the darlings of the NCAA, they took down, and have replaced Alabama at the throne. How many years does Sabah continue? Until then, the NCAA, ESPN, and all the money that pours into college football, NEEDS Clemson, to be a serious competitor, to drive interest. If Alabama slips near the end of Sabans tenure, or after, and Clemson goes on a monotonous run, with NO challenger, you will see slight nudges from media and NCAA into their program. I think it could be a similar situation to Miami of the 80's and 90's. The downside is, we will have to endure a lot of accomplishments before that happens.
The NCAA doesn’t need Clemson. Frankly, they don’t need Alabama either. If next year’s playoff is comprised of Texas, Oregon, Ohio State and Georgia the interest in it will be just fine.