Nyles Pinckney knew the stakes when third-ranked Clemson traveled to Blacksburg, Va. and defeated Virginia Tech 45-10 on a cold night at Lane Stadium.
The Tigers clinched a sixth-consecutive bid to the ACC Championship Game and secured a rematch with No. 2 Notre Dame.
Pinckney approached the game as a must win to make it to Charlotte and stay in the hunt for the College Football Playoff.
“Especially in a game like that we knew we could either punch our ticket to the ACC Championship Game or get ready for a regular bowl in the New Year’s Six,” Pinckney said.