CHARLOTTE – Clemson started the season with four goals and believe it or not, winning a national title was not one of them.

Goal number one was to win the opener. With a one-sided loss to Georgia in Atlanta to start the season, the Tigers failed to accomplish that goal. It’s the second consecutive season Clemson failed to accomplish that one.

Goal number two, win the state. After losing to South Carolina last weekend, that was another goal Dabo Swinney’s team fell short of reaching. The Gamecocks scored the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute left, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

With Swinney being the ultimate optimist, the head coach is always looking for the silver lining and he thinks he’s found one with those two defeats. He insists he’s seen a lot of growth from his team despite not accomplishing either of the first two goals.

In fact, Swinney believes that adversity makes his Clemson team battle-tested.

“You grow together through the course of the season, and you do football life together. It’s a lot,” the head coach said on Friday during a press conference in Charlotte. “A lot of practice, a lot of meetings, a lot of hours, and the team has really grown.”

The Tigers also suffered a loss to Louisville in early November. That defeat meant Clemson no longer controlled its own destiny in the race for locking up a spot in the ACC Championship Game. Swinney’s squad didn’t secure a berth until the final week of the regular season when Syracuse handed Miami its second loss in conference play.

“This is a close group, and they’ve hung in there together,” Swinney added. “They’ve not made any excuses along the way, and they’ve always showed up and gone back to work.”

Locking up that spot in Charlotte means the Tigers final two goals are still on the table. The third one is win the conference, and Clemson can do that with a win over SMU tonight.

The fourth and final goal is to win the closer. If they were to accomplish both, that means the Tigers would be national champions. While the odds might be stacked against them, all Swinney wants for his team is an opportunity. Beating the Mustangs would mean a spot in the College Football Playoff, giving Clemson exactly that.

“We’ve got two goals left. Win the ACC and win the closer. That’s it,” Swinney said. “If we hit them — and nobody can do anything about that. We hit those two goals, we’ll be a national champion.

“That’s exciting. Got a chance. That’s it. Got a shot. Here we are. It starts with winning tomorrow night.”

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!