Clemson has been the standard bearer in the ACC for the large part of the last decade, winning seven conference championships in the past nine seasons, including six straight from 2015-20 – a span in which the Tigers also made six straight College Football Playoff appearances and captured two national titles.
Given Clemson’s recent history as the crème de la crème of the ACC, so to speak, does NC State head coach Dave Doeren view this weekend’s matchup against the Tigers as a “barometer” game to see where the Wolfpack stand?
Doeren was asked that question during his weekly press conference on Monday and said he’s not focused on the past, but rather simply focused on his team doing what it’ll take to beat the 21 st -ranked Tigers on Saturday at Death Valley (12 p.m., ABC).
“I don’t think the last 10 years matter. I don’t,” Doeren said. “College football these days, every team’s got so many new parts. What matters is the guys on your team that have played against these teams and you have a lot of players that have played well against Clemson obviously. We need to get the job done down there, and that’s something we haven’t done. We’ve been close. Close doesn’t get it done.