The Clemson Tigers won the 2024 ACC Championship Game over the SMU Mustangs 34-31 in Charlotte, NC this past December. The Tigers required Miami’s self-implosion in order to backdoor into the ACCCG where they edged SMU on a late game 56-yard field goal.
After their big win over the ‘Stangs, the Tigers immediately dropped their playoff game to the Texas Longhorns by a double-digit margin. The Tigers were back on top of one of the “Little 2” of the Power 4.
According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, the Tigers were both lucky and good.