There's never any shame in losing a football game to Clemson. The Tigers are the class program of the ACC and represent the conference in a tier normally occupied by constant championship teams like Ohio State and Alabama. Head coach Dabo Swinney was once a 35-year old rising position coach, but after Tommy Bowden resigned in 2008, he became the architect of one of the nation's most powerful, most well-recognized college football teams.
Losses to Clemson are expected to a degree, but sports are littered with unknowns. No result is guaranteed, and there's never a game that kicks off with a predetermined result.