GREENVILLE – Danny Ford knows a thing or two about winning a national championship. He also knows the difficulties of playing the next season as everybody’s main target.
Ford led Clemson to the school’s first national championship in 1981, capping a 12-0 season with a win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers started out the next season ranked No. 11, but faced a stern test at No. 7 Georgia in the season opener.
The Tigers lost 13-7 in a game that was special for many reasons. The game featured the previous two national champs (the first time that happened in an opener in college football history), it was the first night game at Sanford Stadium in more than 30 years, and the game was moved up in the schedule to accommodate a national television audience on ABC.