Clemson Passes Toughest Test vs. Notre Dame, Now in Driver's Seat for ACC Title

The Clemson Tigers rode a fast start to a 24-22 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, advancing to 4-0 and emerging as the clear ACC favorite.

The offense started fast with two touchdowns in the first seven minutes, and the defense held firm in a rain-soaked game against the No. 6 team in the country. Notre Dame entered with the No. 6 offense in college football, per Football Outsiders' S&P+ ratings, but Clemson bottled it up for most of the game and survived a late rally to win.

The Irish trailed 21-3 but scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the potential game-tier, in the final 10 seconds. But Clemson's defensive line held firm on the two-point conversion, stuffing DeShone Kizer on a quarterback sprint to seal the victory.

"Tonight it was BYOG," head coach Dabo Swinney said after the win, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com. "Bring Your Own Guts."

Clemson did, and that's why it's sitting in the ACC driver's seat.

Notre Dame's depth has been tested by injuries, but its roster still oozes talent. From linebacker Jaylon Smith to offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley to cornerback KeiVarae Russell to defensive tackle Sheldon Day, it has as many first-round prospects as any team in college football.

Clemson won with teamwork, muscle and discipline, and although this wasn't a proper ACC game—Notre Dame is only a "partial" conference member, so it doesn't count toward the Tigers' ACC record—it screamed a message loudly to the league.

Clemson is now the official team to beat.

That stands despite the presence of the Florida State Seminoles, the three-time reigning champion, because Clemson, quite simply, is playing better football and beating better teams.

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The Tigers and the Seminoles both needed late stands to seal their wins tonight; only the former sealed their win over a College Football Playoff contender, while the latter sealed their win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The ACC's only other ostensible contender, Georgia Tech, is on a three-game losing streak after getting drilled at Notre Dame and then losing to Duke and North Carolina. The Blue Devils are a looming threat in the Coastal Division, but the Tar Heels have an indicting loss to South Carolina on their resume, so it's hard to take them seriously.

Even if Clemson wasn't playing very good football, it would be the ACC favorite by attrition. This conference is awash with average-to-good teams but wanting for legitimately strong ones. Even if their minor issues were major issues, the Tigers would be the least flawed team.

It just helps that those minor issues are minor.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

It also helps that Clemson's schedule from here looks manageable. It gets Georgia Tech, Boston College and Florida State at home, so its toughest remaining road game is at…Miami? NC State? South Carolina?

You tell me.

Notre Dame was the biggest test left on Clemson's schedule, and it passed with high marks. The offense needs fine-tuning, but with quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Wayne Gallman and receiver Artavis Scott, there's only so far it can fall.

Really, though, this team's success rests on its defense. Brent Venables is one of the best coordinators in college football, but even he seemed like a long shot to rebuild the nation's No. 2 defense (per the S&P+ ratings) after losing so much talent and production.

Date	Opponent
10/10	vs. Georgia Tech
10/17	vs. Boston College
10/24	at Miami
10/31	at NC State
11/7	vs. Florida State
11/14	at Syracuse
11/21	vs. Wake Forest
11/28	at South Carolina

So far, however, he's replaced lost pieces with a smart mix of veterans and underclassmen. Clemson entered No. 5 on the defensive S&P+ rankings, and that number stands to improve after suffocating Notre Dame for three-plus quarters and forcing two clutch turnovers late.

"[Clemson is] hardly a dominant team but Brent Venables' ability to fill holes on defense has been utterly masterful," Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com tweeted, hitting the nail on the head.

Clemson is hardly dominant, but in this year's ACC, it doesn't need to be. It just needs to be dominant enough.

Any team that controls Notre Dame as thoroughly as the Tigers did Saturday is dominant enough to win this conference.

It's also dominant enough to make the playoff.

Brian Leigh covers college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @BLeigh35