CLEMSON — Today is a weird day for the ACC and Clemson.

Why?

Well, the conference’s champion is representing the league in the Sun Bowl, while another team is representing the ACC in the College Football Playoff. What is so weird about those things.

Neither of those teams are named Clemson.

Duke—the ACC Champions—played Arizona State in the Sun Bowl, while Miami is playing Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

This was Clemson’s domain. For more than a decade, the Tigers owned the ACC and were a mainstay in the CFP.

What happened?

Clemson got complacent.

Dabo Swinney loves the saying, “Doing the common things in an uncommon world will allow you to command the attention of the world.” In other words, work hard, do the little things when no one else is watching to get you over the top. Always strive to out-work your opponent.

From 2011-’20, that is what Clemson did. No one out-worked the Tigers, which is why they won so many games and championships, the things Dabo Swinney loves to brag about.

However, you want to know what Clemson also had during those years? They had Jimmys and Joes.

Go look at the names – Sammy Watkins, Nuk Hopkins, Dwayne Allen, Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, A.J. Terrell, Trevor Lawrence, Tee Higgins and Travie Etienne.

Look at those names, again. They are some of the greatest players in the history of Clemson Football and they all came during a 10-year stretch.

Are we surprised, when looking back, that Clemson won so much?

No.

Clemson won, yes, because it did all the little things. But it also won because it had some of the best players in the country, as well.

The Tigers can’t say that right now. Yes, there is no doubt, they are working their butts off, but Clemson does not have a roster filled with NFL talent like it did back then.

This is when complacency set in.

When the NIL and transfer portal era began in 2021, Swinney and the Clemson administration turned their nose up to it. They felt the Clemson way was better than anything out there.

They were going to get the same players no matter what because they are Clemson. But what Clemson stubbornly found out was that this new era of college athletics is all about money.

In the famous words of Rod Tidwell from the movie Jerry Maguire, “Show me the Money” is all most players want. Academics, facilities, culture and free education, are things of the past.

College athletics, and particularly College Football, is all about the money.

This is where Clemson got complacent. This is why Duke is the year’s ACC Champion. This is why Miami is playing in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.

This is why Clemson is sitting on the couch and wondering, “What happened?”