There are two very different types of “big regular-season games” in college football.
Some games can elevate a team or program by putting them in position for a championship, higher in the rankings, or enhancing their profile. Others can go the other way, validating criticism or lowering expectations to an absurd point.
Clemson has spent much of the last decade playing in the former, beating Alabama in the Nick Saban era to capture two national titles and running through a rolodex of who’s who in the pantheon of the game.
However, there have been a few too many of the former over the last handful of seasons.