The Tigers dominated Virginia Tech in a 45-10 routing win to secure a sixth-straight appearance in the ACC Championship Game. Led by projected first-round pick Trevor Lawrence, he went 12 for 22 on passing with 195 yards with one pass touchdown and a rushing touchdown to match. With that win, the Clemson Tigers will look to get revenge on Notre Dame on December 19 in the ACC Championship game. Coach Dabo Swinney is in his 13th season at Clemson but this marks his sixth straight appearance in the big ACC game.
While Dabo, Trevor, and the rest of the Tigers are excited to be returning to the ACC game, the main focus is on Notre Dame. When the two matched up earlier in November for what many called the game of the year, Clemson was without starting QB Trevor Lawrence. Even without Clemson, the game was high scoring on both sides ending in overtime with a score of 40-47 favoring Notre Dame. This game will be one that is circled for many college football fans as it may be another preview for the college football playoffs since Clemson is ranked 3rd and Notre Dame is 2nd.
Many wondered if this is Clemson’s last run with Dabo at getting another chance at the National Championship with Trevor being projected to not only be a first-round pick but also the first pick overall. However, with back up QB DJ Uiagalelei who played for Lawrence when he was out with COVID, he had great games and was a leading factor in keeping the game close to the first matchup between the Tigers and the Fighting Irish with 439 yards and two touchdowns. To add to that, Coach Swinney is on a 10-year contract extension that runs through 2028 so in order for him to no longer be at Clemson, something massive would need to happen for that program. With the recruiting class that they have and the culture that Dabo has produced, I think there is a good chance to say that Clemson and Dabo have a strong argument for saying they might be in an opportunity to make eight maybe even ten straight ACC Title appearances.
The ACC title game will be on December 19th and is a must-watch game for any college football fan.
