By Will Vandervort.

Swinney, Clemson try to keep players educated the best they can

Jameis Winston will not get out of his own way.

Now Florida State’s Heisman Trophy winner has reportedly been paid for signing more than 900 autographs.

ESPN reported on Tuesday that the FSU compliance department has begun to look into how so many Winston autographs were authenticated by a single company. Of course Winston is denying he had any involvement in it.

Earlier this week, Seminoles’ head coach Jimbo Fisher said he talked with Winston about the autographs and he believed his quarterback when he said he has nothing to do with any of the latest allegations. Of course this comes after Winston lied to Florida State last month when he stood up in the student-union and yelled out a vulgar phrase.

He was suspended for the Clemson game when school officials learned, after gathering more evidence, Winston lied about his actions.

The same autograph-authentication business that Florida State’s compliance office is looking into was linked to Georgia running back Todd Gurley, who was suspended indefinitely by Georgia last week, after he admitted he did receive and accept money for signing autographs.

Fisher would not comment any further on the situation when he spoke with the media that cover the ACC on Wednesday.

“We’re moving on to Notre Dame,” he said. “That press conference is over. We’re getting focused on this game. We’re moving forward. That’s where our focus and concentration is right now.”

The second-ranked Seminoles will host the No. 5 Fighting Irish on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.

The autograph accusations are just the latest allegations for Winston, who has been accused of an alleged rape, which could be a Title IX violation, as well as stealing crab legs from a Publix last spring and soda from a Burger King when he was a freshman.

He was also accused of firing a BB gun at his apartment complex during his freshman year.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says what is happening to Winston and Gurley in this current situation is just one of 50 million things that can get a student-athlete in trouble.

“We constantly just try to challenge our guys to do what’s right. It’s really that simple,” Swinney said. “We challenge them every day, all year long, to make good decisions. We cover all of these topics numerous times throughout the year, not just as a football program, but our compliance department as well, the things they have to do over there throughout the year.

“But there are so many things you can’t control as a coach. At the end of the day you just have to challenge your guys, ‘Hey, listen, do what’s right. There are rules that we all have to follow. Whether you like them or not really doesn’t matter. We have to follow the rules.’ When you don’t, there are consequences, whether it’s a coach not following the rules or a player not following the rules. There are consequences that come with that.”

Swinney has been quick to reprimand his players when they step out of line. He sat down three of his starters—defensive end Corey Crawford, cornerback Garry Peters and left guard David Beasley—for the Georgia game for violation of team rules, while doing the same to defensive tackle D.J. Reader for the NC State game.

Offensive tackle Isaiah Battle did not start the Florida State game for being 10-minutes late for the team meal the night before and All-American defensive end Vic Beasley was held out at the start of the Louisville game for something similar.

And let’s not forget the biggest disciplinary action Swinney has ever handed out when he suspended former All-American wide receiver Sammy Watkins for two games in 2012 for his involvement in a misdemeanor possession charge of marijuana.

Of course there are also cases in which Swinney has kicked star recruits like quarterback Chad Kelly off the team for conduct or actions that he considered detrimental to the team.

“We try to be proactive. Everybody is going to learn from their own experience. That’s for sure,” Swinney said. “That’s the way it is in life. You touch a hot stove and get burned. Guess what? You’re going to learn from your own experience.

“Wise people learn from other’s experiences. We try to take every opportunity that we get, whether it’s where somebody has done something that’s not smart at some other school and we try to take that opportunity to say, ‘All right, guys, here’s what happened over here. Let’s learn from this, okay? Let’s make sure that we all understand what can happen if you make bad decisions.”

Getting defensive.  ACC teams have improved their defensive posture this fall. This week seven ACC schools—exactly half the conference—rank in the Top 34 in scoring defense. Additionally, four schools rank in the top eight and seven in the Top 27 in total defense.

Louisville leads the nation in total defense allowing just 230.7 yards per game. The Cardinals are followed closely by Pitt (4th, 278.7), Clemson (6th, 286.0), Boston College (8th, 289.8), Virginia Tech (21st, 325.2), Miami (24th, 327.4) and Virginia (27th, 330.8).

Louisville again leads the way in the league in scoring defense, ranked 3rd nationally (14.1), followed by Duke (7th, 15.5), Pitt (17th, 19.0), Boston College (22nd, 19.3), Virginia Tech (23rd, 19.8), Florida State (30th, 20.7) and Clemson (34th, 21.2).

Experience matters at BC. Boston College, who will host No. 22 Clemson on Saturday, is ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense, averaging 315.7 yards per game on the ground. A big reason for that experience is that every starter on the Eagles offensive line is a graduate, including tackles Ian

Silberman and Seth Betancourt, guards Bobby Vardaro and Aaron Kramer and center Andy Gallik. This quintet combines for 113 career starts. Vardaro leads the way with 38 and Gallik is right behind with 34. BC is one of only two teams nationally in the FBS who start five graduates on its offensive line. Toledo is the other school.

Undefeated at home. Louisville has won 21 straight games at home under head coach Bobby Petrino, dating back to his first term with the Cardinals from 2003-06. His teams won 18 straight games at Papa John’s Cardinals Stadium after a November loss in 2003. The Cardinals are 3-0 this season at home under Petrino and play their next two games at home against Atlantic Division rivals NC State this Saturday and Florida State on Thursday, Oct. 30.

ACC Standings

Atlantic Division

                             ACC         Home     Away      Over

Florida State         4-0          3-0          2-0          6-0

Clemson             3-1          4-0          0-2          4-2

Louisville              3-2          3-0          2-2          5-2

Boston College     1-1          2-2          2-0          4-2

Syracuse               0-2          1-3          1-0          2-4

Wake Forest        0-2          2-0          0-4          2-4

NC State               0-3          3-2          1-1          4-3

Coastal Division

                             ACC         Home     Away      Over

Virginia                 2-0          4-1          0-1          4-2

Georgia Tech        2-1          3-1          2-0          5-1

Duke                       1-1          3-0          2-1          5-1

Virginia Tech        1-1          2-2          2-0          4-2

Pittsburgh             1-1          1-2          2-0          3-3

Miami                    1-2          4-0          0-3          4-3

North Carolina     0-2          2-1          0-3          2-4

Thursday

Virginia Tech at Pitt, ESPN, 7:30

Saturday, October 18

Syracuse at Wake Forest, RSN, Noon

Virginia at Duke, ACC, 12:30

Clemson at Boston College, ESPNU, 3:30

NC State at Louisville, RSN, 3:30

Georgia Tech at North Carolina, ESPNU, 7 pm

Notre Dame at Florida State, ABC, 8:00