ATLANTA - The year's first Bowl Championship Series standings left the Atlantic Coast Conference again wondering just how it can become relevant in national championship discussions.
Clemson is carrying the banner for the ACC so far. The No. 8 Tigers are 7-0, including three consecutive victories over ranked teams: defending national champion Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech.
Pretty impressive, according to ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "When you consider what they have done during the course of the season, I'm not sure anybody has accomplished more on the field," Swofford told the Associated Press on Thursday.
Even so, Clemson is only No. 7 in the BCS standings and faces a difficult climb to end the ACC's drought with no national championship since the 1999 season. Meanwhile, the SEC and Big 12 claim the top four BCS positions.
The best answer for Clemson? "Keep winning," Swofford said. "That's the most important thing. There's a lot of football left to be played. Clemson has had a remarkable first half of the season, which is great for Clemson and terrific for the ACC. Hopefully that can continue as we move forward."
The ACC seems to have a long journey ahead of it.
The conference's last national title came when Florida State beat Virginia Tech, then a Big East team, in the Sugar Bowl in January 2000.
Nonetheless, the ACC remains attractive to other teams. It added Pittsburgh and Syracuse last month, and at least 10 others have expressed interest in joining the conference, including Connecticut.
