Clemson win ‘was a friendly reminder’ they can still win the ACC

Clemson played a nearly perfect football game on Saturday, beating App State 66-20. Regardless of how skeptics try to portray this win, App State is a very good team.

Cade Klubnik played his best game as a Tiger, showing why he was one of the best players in the country coming out of high school. While he wasn’t great at times, it shows his talent.

When Clemson is at its best, there aren’t many teams in the country better than them. But that’s also when Klubnik is at his best.

He threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns, completing 24 of 26 pass attempts. It was an impressive performance from top to bottom, as he could have easily thrown for over 450 yards, if not more, had he played the entire game.

Just one week after many thought Clemson’s season was over because the team lost to the No. 1 team in the country, the script has been slightly changed.

The ACC will present them with challenges, but looking ahead, Clemson could be the favorite in any game they play. While that doesn’t guarantee a win, it does show what’s in store for them.

This is possible in the ACC Championship Game, and if they win, they will automatically qualify for the College Football Playoff.

Stewart Mandel from Athletic believes that’s possible, writing that Clemson showed on Saturday why it still has a chance to win the conference.

“Clemson heard all our taunts from the last Georgia game and took them out on a respected G5 Appalachian State team. Behind a near-perfect performance by quarterback Cade Klubnik (24-of-26, 378 yards, five TDs, zero INTs), the Tigers scored 35 points in the first quarter and 56 by halftime to win 66-20. It was a friendly reminder that despite losing the opener 34-3, Clemson can turn around and win the ACC. And that Georgia remains a sacred terror.”

Everything Mandel said is true. Even if the Tigers had beaten Georgia in Week 1, it wouldn’t have changed that.

The goal is to win the ACC conference, and while a majority bid would also be acceptable, the easiest way for this program to achieve that is to win the championship game.

The ACC has struggled a bit, with no clear favorite. Outside of Miami, Clemson should be happy with its chances to win it all.

They will have to show that this victory was nothing out of the ordinary and dominate the ACC playoffs.

Clemson has all the resources to do this.