Clemson Is by Far the Best Team in the ACC, and It’s Time To Stop Ignoring That

All Clemson has done since their loss to Georgia is dominate the ACC.

Oct 19, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) runs the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium. / Alexander Hicks-Imagn Images

Outside of their loss to Georgia in the first week of the season, Clemson might've played their worst game of the year on Saturday.

However, considering they still won by 17 points after scoring 48 against Virginia, that shows the improvements this team has made over the past 12-plus months.

There were many critics regarding Clemson, and perhaps some were fair.

Dabo Swinney didn't do enough to put his players in a position to win, and instead of blaming others, he understood that.

That didn't result in him hitting the transfer portal and doing what many fans wanted, but he didn't lose the plot. He attempted to return to his roots and get his guys ready to play at the highest level in the offseason.

All Clemson has done since they lost to Georgia is just that.

In fact, it's gotten to the point where it's almost unfair to say that any team in the ACC is on the same level as them.

Sure, maybe a team like Miami is just as good as them, but when looking at some of Miami's games, they've barely escaped with victories against average opponents. They have four-point, one-point, and seven-point wins.

It's not exactly like the Hurricanes have dominated the college football landscape.

For Clemson, it's the mentality that separates them from prior years.

Take away them dominating in ACC play, beating every team they've played by at least 16 points, and the trust shows why they should feel confident in winning the conference.

That wasn't always the case, as there were even times when quarterback seemed unsure of himself.

That seems to be changing with his comments after Saturday's win.

“Sometimes, you just don’t have as good of a game as you do others, and that’s OK,” said Klubnik, according to the AP. “That’s why you get to have peace after the game knowing we put up 500 and something yards and however many points.”

Olsen Patt-Henry also sounded confident in his teammates, highlighting their trust in each other.

“That was just us believing in each other and we’re all going to ride behind (Klubnik) no matter what,” Patt-Henry said. “It comes with the hours of hard work, all the preparation in just being able to trust each other.”

It's important for the Tigers not to get too ahead of themselves. Still, things look very promising.

If they beat Pittsburgh in about a month, they should finish conference play without a loss. That's the first step in making the College Football Playoff.

They're the best team in the conference and will do just that.