CLEMSON, S.C. To best understand Clemson’s status these days among the college football elite, consider that the Tigers have won 44 of their last 48 games entering Saturday’s showdown against N.C. State at Carter-Finley Stadium. They also are seeking their fifth shared or outright ACC Atlantic Division championship in the past seven seasons, and fourth league title in the same period.
Over the past three seasons, Clemson is 35-3 with a national runner-up finish and last season’s national championship. To be sure, Clemson is exactly where Dabo Swinney envisioned his program would be when he took the head coaching reins midway through the 2008 season.