The Clemson Tigers find themselves two victories shy of college football’s summit, where a year ago they came within one final step before losing to Alabama in a scintillating national championship game.
Clemson is in rarified air under coach Dabo Swinney, who has led the No. 2 Tigers back to the College Football Playoff with a semifinal matchup against No. 3 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.
Since the start of the 2014 season, only Alabama (39-3) and Ohio State (37-3) have had more victories than Clemson (36-5), which began its recent tear by beating the Buckeyes 40-35 in the Orange Bowl to cap the 2013 season.