TAMPA, Fla. — Five or so years ago, the ACC’s lack of success in football overall left the conference searching for a solution that would elevate its status among other, more successful Power Five conferences.

In 2016, the play of the ACC has made that problem seem like a distant memory.

Not too long ago, ACC schools as a whole struggled to win bowl games and win games in non-conference play, resulting in the fair perception that the league was one of college football’s weakest.

Now, the ACC is considered one of the strongest all-around conferences, having proved it on the football field this season to back its established elitism on the basketball court.

The ACC is the only league with a winning record against other Power Five conferences this year, boasting a 16-9 (.640) mark that is better than the Pac-12 (8-8), SEC (11-13), Big Ten (9-11) and Big 12 (5-8).

Moreover, the ACC holds a 50-17 record against all non-conference competition this year, the best record of any conference and a league record for most wins in a season.

In addition, the ACC is 9-4 against the SEC this year and 6-2 against the Big Ten, with both being league records for the most wins against those respective conferences.

“I think the narrative for ACC football has changed over the last five years, and it needed to,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said on Sunday at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. “So, I’m really proud of our programs, our coaches.”

Clemson, in tandem with Florida State, has led the ACC’s rise to prominence in football.

The ACC has had a member school make the College Football Playoff in each of the three years of its existence, and following Clemson’s 31-0 win over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl last Saturday, the ACC has placed a team in the national championship game in three of the past four years.

And if Clemson wins Monday night’s national championship game against Alabama, it will be the second time in the last four years that an ACC team has claimed college football’s crown, as Florida State won it all in 2013, the last year of the BCS format.

“We needed to win more games, we needed to be better in the postseason, needed to win more of the right kinds of games,” Swofford said, “and I think what we’ve seen over the last four or five years in the ACC is that our teams have done that, certainly led by Clemson and Florida State.”

He’s biased, but Swofford would love to see Clemson win the national title and further the strides the ACC has made in football.

“Clemson’s always had such a great commitment to the sport and a terrific fan base, and to watch what Dabo has done and know who he is has really been special for that university and for the ACC,” Swofford said. “And for us to have a team in the playoff its first three years after winning the last BCS national championship with Florida State, it’s gratifying, and it elevates not only Clemson and Florida State, it elevates the entire league.”

Clemson and Florida State have fronted the ACC’s charge forward, but it’s not as if the two programs are the sole reasons for the conference’s progress.

The ACC has 11 teams with winning records this season, the most in league history and two more than any other conference this year.

The ACC is also 8-3 in bowl games this year, a league record for most bowl wins in a season and the second most for any conference in history. The 8-3 record is the best of any league this year.

Plus, over the last five seasons, the ACC has the most wins in BCS, New Year’s Six and College Football Playoff games. The league’s 7-3 record in those games leads the Pac-12 (5-4), Big Ten (6-7), SEC (5-7), and Big 12 (3-5).

“The depth that we now have, I think, is unquestionable, really,” Swofford said. “When you have that kind of record against quality opposition, it’s time to take notice.”

Swofford, a former football player at North Carolina, takes great pride in what his conference has accomplished.

Along with schools such as Clemson and Florida State, he’s doing what he can to make sure the ACC is here to stay.

“Our teams have done what they needed to do,” Swofford said. ”Now, we just need to continue that upward trajectory and stay there, and that’s hard to do, too. But to stay there, you have to get there first. So, it’s good to see our teams where they are.”