CLEMSON — They remember November.

Dabo Swinney has been telling his teams that since he first became interim head coach in 2008. That season, Clemson went 4-1, including a 31-14 victory over rival South Carolina, which landed Swinney the full-time gig at Clemson.

Counting 2008, the Tigers have posted a 49-13 (.790) record in the month of November, giving Clemson fans a lot to remember. Last year, they finished out the regular season 4-0, which included wins over nationally ranked teams in Notre Dame and North Carolina.

“We had a really good November, and it allowed us to have a really good finish to our season,” Swinney said. “Obviously, we had a lot of disappointments in September and October. We just could not win a close game. Overtime, double overtime, just some tough, tough moments for us.

“To see the guys finish the way they did last year, it really gave us good momentum heading into the off-season.”

The momentum from last season has definitely carried over to this year. Clemson is off to a 6-1 start and more importantly is undefeated (5-0) in ACC play. The Tigers’ goals are simple – make the ACC Championship Game, win the league and win the last game.

“The difference this year is all of your goals are still there. It is exciting,” Swinney said. “It is hard to get to this point. That is why again, we have not been perfect, but I am proud of their resolve and their willingness to reset each week and to go back to work and find ways to win.

“There have been a lot of good things to this point, but it is truly about this next game and trying to have a great November. They will have a lot of opportunities, and we have a long way to go, but we do have an opportunity to earn it and it is exciting to still be in that situation in November.”

Clemson will take this weekend off before beginning the “Championship Phase” of their schedule on Nov. 2 when they host Louisville at Memorial Stadium.