College Football Rankings 2011 Week 6: Clemson Tigers Ready to Enter Top 10

For a team that didn't receive a single vote in the preseason AP poll, Clemson sure is making a lot of waves.

In fact, after Florida's loss to Alabama on Saturday, you could call Clemson the Cinderella story of college football in 2011.

What the Tigers have done has been remarkable. A 6-7 team just a year ago, head coach Dabo Swinney has Clemson believing in itself after its third straight win over a ranked opponent on Saturday.

After the Clemson offense exploded against Auburn and Florida State, it was the Tigers' defense that stepped up against No. 11 Virginia Tech, limiting a Hokies team averaging 34.3 points to just three points in Blacksburg.

What is going on with Clemson? The Tigers were mainly a one-trick pony headed into their matchup with the Hokies. They scored a lot to make up for a defense that gave up a lot of points. But Saturday's game was astonishing given the way the defense stepped up when quarterback Tajh Boyd was not at his best.

This has the look of a top-10 team, with multiple players contributing to each win, and after No. 10 South Carolina and No. 12 Florida fell in Week 5, Clemson may just be.

The Tigers did have a good offseason, picking up some big recruits, but no one expected something quite like this. This looks nothing like a team that has yet to capture an ACC title since 1991.

Senior defensive end Andre Branch led the way for the defense on Saturday, racking up three sacks and being involved in 11 tackles. According to coach Dabo Swinney, he was "a man on a mission."

Said Boyd, via ESPN, "Coach Swinney calls it the 'Shock the World Tour.'"

With such a convincing performance one can say, mission accomplished.