Clemson wins division, advances to ACC title game

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson coach Dabo Swinney put on a slideshow for his team this week with pictures of the College Football Playoff title site in Arizona and the White House, a privilege reserved for national champions.

"The best is yet to come," he said.

The third-ranked Tigers, who landed atop the first CFP rankings this week, took a huge step toward the playoffs with their 23-13 victory over the Seminoles.

"We won the Kentucky Derby tonight," Swinney said. "But we want to win the Triple Crown."

There was no dampening the party, though, after Clemson's 12th consecutive win. The scoreboard flashed "ACC Atlantic Division Champions" and the speakers blared the song, "I'm on top of the world."

The Tigers (9-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) appear to have a glide path into the playoffs with games against Syracuse, Wake Forest and rival South Carolina — a combined record of 9-18.

"We're not worried about that now," said Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, who rallied the Tigers from a 10-6 halftime deficit with three long second-half scoring drives. "We've taken it game-by-game, prepared the same way and gotten these results."

After giving up a 75-yard TD to Dalvin Cook on the game's second snap, it allowed just two field goals the rest of the way. The Tigers stopped Cook on third and fourth down runs in the fourth quarter with the Seminoles (7-2, 5-2) a yard from a first down.

The loss ended the Seminoles' run as three-time ACC champions, a stretch that included the 2013 national title.

"It's been a heck of a run," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. "Time to start another one."

Cook ran for 194 yards — including a 75-yard TD run on the second play from scrimmage — but only 37 came in the second half.

Seminoles QB Sean Maguire drove Florida State to the Clemson 17 on the next drive. But Adrian Baker's interception ended the threat and Florida State didn't get into the end zone again. Roberto Aguayo had two field goals, the last from 41 yards out that tied the game at 13-all in the third quarter.

Watson finished 28-of-42 for 297 yards. He also rushed for 107 yards. Gallman ended with 103 yards rushing.

The last time the Tigers were 9-0 was 1981 when they won their lone national championship.

Florida State had Clemson on its heels early.

Cook sprang through the line on the game's second play and was untouched until he hit the end zone 75 yards later. He added a 36-yard the next time he touched the ball. His 111 yards on those two plays was more than Clemson had averaged giving up in games (109) this season.

The Tigers were rattled. A fake punt that had picked up a first down was called back for an illegal formation. They failed a fourth-and-2 pitch, then Watson inexplicably spiked a third-down snap right before halftime with Clemson in the FSU red zone.