CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No. 7 Miami couldn’t be happier to be in the Queen City.

After 13 long seasons since joining the league in 2003, the Hurricanes will finally make their first appearance in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night when they face the top-ranked Clemson Tigers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

“We’re very thankful to be here,” Miami head coach Mark Richt said Friday. “It’s been a great ride this season. It’s a team that we challenged all year to see if we were going to be the first Miami team to make it here in Charlotte. We’re here. So we’re excited about that.”

On the flip side, playing for the conference crown has become a common occurrence for Clemson. The Tigers are looking to capture their third consecutive ACC title and fourth in the last seven years.

While Miami’s program was down in recent years prior to Richt’s arrival in 2016, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was constructing a powerhouse. In the last three seasons alone, the Tigers have compiled a 39-3 record with one national championship, two College Football Playoff appearances, two ACC championships and a bowl victory over Oklahoma.

Needless to say, Clemson has accumulated plenty of experience on college football’s biggest stages over the past few years, especially in comparison to Miami.

When asked about Clemson’s wealth of experience in big games like Saturday’s, Richt didn’t deny that it should be an advantage for the Tigers.

“Being used to winning at a high level, being used to being a champion — not only an ACC Champion but a National Champion — playing in two National Championship games in a row… It doesn’t get any bigger than that,” Richt said.

“Yeah, they’ve all experienced that. Experience is a great teacher. We all know that. We’re just experiencing some things for the first time as a group of coaches and players. So, it should be an advantage to have lived through those types of moments.”

Richt tipped his cap to Swinney for putting Clemson’s program in position to compete for championships on a yearly basis.

“I think Dabo is the real deal,” Richt said. “He’s a great coach and a great person. I have no doubt in my mind, I know he’s doing things the right way. You can tell he’s been recruiting for eight years at a high level. I know that he’s developing them physically, mentally, spiritually. I really admire the way he does he business, too.”