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Austin R. Vaughn | NCAA.com | October 4, 2015

Tigers earn their stripes and a No. 6 ranking

Clemson jumped six spots in the AP Poll after upsetting Notre Dame 24-22 on Saturday.

Dancing in the streets, singing in the rain, all that and more could be found in Clemson, S.C., last night after Clemson’s 24-22 win over the 6th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Tigers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but Notre Dame scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to keep themselves in the game. However, the Irish were unsuccessful on an essential two-point conversion in the final seconds, and Clemson soaked in the win.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney burst with excitement and pride in his post-game interview with ESPN.

“I told [the players], ‘We give you scholarships, we give you stipends, we give you meals and a place to live. We give you nice uniforms, but I can’t give you guts and I can’t give you heart.,’” the coach told ESPN immediately following the win, “And, tonight, it was BYOG, bring your own guts. And, they brought some guts and they brought some heart…We gonna do the Whip and Nae Nae tonight; I can promise you that!”

Swinney and the Tigers delivered on their word.

You can bet the dancing continued this afternoon after the AP Poll moved Clemson to the No. 6 spot, six places ahead of where they were last night.

With a close win over Notre Dame behind them now, the Tigers have a pretty clear road to the playoff ahead. Clemson’s toughest regular season contest is a home game versus No. 12 Florida State, who haven’t been very impressive so far this season, and their rivalry match-up with South Carolina to end the season doesn’t look to be the tough contest it has been recently.

Looking to December, the last time the Coastal Division won the ACC was in 2010, and that definitely won’t change this season. If when the Tigers make it to Charlotte; the game will basically be a formality.

So, if Clemson keeps bringing the guts, which they probably won’t even need considering its schedule, Dabo will be dancing well into January.