On ESPN’s Championship Drive: College Football Rewind that aired this past weekend, Heather Dinich — who covers the College Football Playoff for ESPN — discussed fifth-ranked Clemson (5-0, 3-0 ACC) coming off its 30-20 win over then-No. 10 NC State on Saturday night at Death Valley.

Dinich spoke about Dabo Swinney’s coordinator hires to replace Tony Elliott and Brent Venables, and she mentioned DJ Uiagalelei’s improvement this season in his second year as the Tigers’ starting quarterback.

“There were a lot of questions, but Dabo stuck to his guns with the inside hires for both the offensive and defensive coordinators, who came into this season having never called plays or anything of the sort,” Dinich said. “But DJ Uiagalelei deserves a lot of credit for the strides that he’s made from last season to this season.”

Dinich also touched on the Tigers’ playoff outlook after Week 5 of the season.

“With the win, Clemson now has the tiebreaker (in the ACC Atlantic Division) over both Wake Forest and NC State,” Dinich noted. “They’ve got to be really careful about a tricky road trip coming at Florida State in two weeks (on Oct. 15), and don’t forget, they also travel to South Bend for a game against Notre Dame (on Nov. 5).

“But if Clemson can finish with one loss or undefeated, they’re certainly in the top four. But what if USC does the same thing? Notre Dame is a common opponent, so look for that fourth spot to possibly be a debate.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!