College Football

ACC Preview: Clemson came from nowhere a decade ago ... and isn't going anywhere

Updated Aug. 27, 2021 9:58 a.m. ET

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By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Editor's Note: The story of the 2021 college football season, like several of the seasons before it, is David vs. Goliath. In each of the Power 5 conferences, there is a very familiar prohibitive favorite and defending champion. As he previews the five conferences this week, RJ Young breaks down the behemoth in each league and identifies the potential Davids who could shake up the College Football Playoff race this fall. RJ has covered the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12. Now, he previews the ACC.

Florida State fondly remembers what it was like to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that FSU won the first one ever in 2005.

In 2013, the Seminoles lifted the national championship trophy amid a run of three consecutive ACC title wins.

They were used to facing the likes of Virginia Tech, representing the Coastal Division. Then, for a few years, Boston College usurped FSU as the Atlantic Division champ. 

It wasn’t until 2009 that Florida State, let alone the conference at large, had to actually pay attention to lil, ol’ Clemson.

When the Tigers finally won the ACC title for the first time in 20 years in 2011, most folks thought they were due. Heck, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

FSU restored order — as far as college football fans were concerned — for the next three seasons. Then Clemson showed up again. And the Tigers won the whole thing again. And then Clemson won another one. And another one. And [DJ KHALED!] anotha one.

Since 2015, that’s all the ACC title has amounted to: another one for Clemson. What’s remarkable about this run of six straight conference titles is that, in each of those six years, the Tigers faced a different sacrificial lamb, er, opponent from the Coastal Division.

But neither No. 8 North Carolina in 2015, nor No. 19 Virginia Tech in 2016, nor No. 7 Miami in 2017, nor Pittsburgh in 2018, nor No. 22 Virginia in 2019, nor No. 2 Notre Dame last season was good enough to deny the Tigers their ACC crown.

They're in position to win a seventh straight ACC title this year, with redshirt freshman phenom D.J. Uiagalelei at quarterback and Brent Venables’ defense again looking formidable. But merely winning the ACC has not been Clemson’s priority for half a decade now.

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The Tigers have played in every College Football Playoff since 2015, appeared in four national title games and won two national championships. Most college football fans and media expect the Tigers to make another trip to the CFP this season.

In a poll, administered by the conference, of participating media members who cover the league, the Tigers received 146 out of 147 first-place votes to win the Atlantic Division.

No. 3 Clemson even received six first-place votes in the AP preseason poll, which is the same number of broadcasters capable of correctly pronouncing Uiagalelei’s name.

Winning the ACC title at Clemson has become less a goal and more a rite of passage, like getting your driver’s license, going to prom — or absolutely wrecking Georgia Tech. But if there is a team this season capable of ending what passes for a dynastic run at Clemson, perhaps the Tar Heels are up for the challenge.

ACC CONTENDERS:

NORTH CAROLINA

The Tar Heels rank No. 10 in the AP preseason poll. They haven’t ranked that high from the jump since 1997, when they were No. 7.

That season, Mack Brown’s UNC squad finished 11-1. The Heels' only loss came against No. 3 Florida State, and they ended the season as the No. 6 team in the country.

Not coincidentally, that was Brown’s final year in Chapel Hill until his return in 2019. Also not coincidentally, cornerbacks coach Dré Bly was a starting corner on that ‘97 team.

But that’s where the similarities end. The Tar Heels have pinned their hopes for ACC glory on the shoulders of quarterback Sam Howell, who could be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft next April.

For more up-to-date news on all things North Carolina, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Howell led an offense that averaged 537 yards and 42 points per game in 2020. The problem is that this season he’ll be without four players who helped him become one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

Gone are wide receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome and running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. None of that foursome is easy to replace.

Williams and Carter averaged 7.6 yards per carry between them and rushed for 28 touchdowns in 2020, with Williams recording 19 of those TDs. Brown and Newsome accounted for 53% of Howell’s passing touchdowns, and Brown led the ACC in receiving yards with 1,099 — good for sixth-best in the sport.

In all, UNC put up 6,447 yards and 66 TDs in 2020. Carter and Williams accounted for 2,385 yards and 33 of those touchdowns.

If UNC is going to win the Coastal and take its shot at the title, Josh Downs and Beau Corrales need to turn into bona fide receiving threats alongside Khafre Brown, who averaged 22 yards per catch last season.

If the Tar Heels can earn the opportunity to play Clemson in the title game again, they’ll be staring down a four-game losing streak dating back 10 years.

MIAMI

The Hurricanes believe they have something special with D’Eriq King at quarterback, and for most of the 2020 season, they were right. They lost just two games in the regular season.

However, those two losses came against Clemson and North Carolina, and they weren’t close. The Hurricanes lost those games by a combined score of 104-43 before losing King to a torn ACL and then their bowl game to Oklahoma State.

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While King seems healthy, and the Hurricanes have added skill players such as WR Charleston Rambo through the transfer portal, the Miami offensive line remains the largest question. The Hurricanes have to come up with an answer by Sept. 4, when they play No. 1 Alabama in their season opener.

However, outside of the Tide, the only preseason-ranked team on Miami's schedule is North Carolina. If the Hurricanes can beat UNC, they have an outstanding shot to play for the conference title.

Miami has played Clemson only a dozen times, and they're tied with six wins each. But Clemson has won the past three meetings, dating to 2015.

Pick: Clemson

It’s Clemson’s world. The rest of the ACC just lives in it. 

Over the past 10 years, Clemson has put together a record of 121-18, made six consecutive CFP appearances and won two national titles. There’s little reason to believe the Tigers won’t repeat as conference champs for the seventh time in a row.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.

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