A championship shrouded in “what ifs.”

That’s what my colleague Brett Freidlander wisely called Saturday night’s dominant victory by Clemson over North Carolina, which earned the Tigers their 7th ACC championship in the past 8 seasons. The 39-10 win was Clemson football at its best: a nasty, big play defense, playmakers on special teams, a great running back and at the center of everything, a star quarterback.

The only thing? The star quarterback didn’t start. Not a single time this season.

What Cade Klubnik did do was simultaneously rescue Clemson on Saturday night and get Tigers fans excited about the future, even if they wonder “what if” about the 2022 regular season.

Klubnik, the latest 5-star quarterback prodigy to sign up to play for Dabo Swinney, entered Saturday night’s title game on Clemson’s third possession, with North Carolina leading 7-0. He played every subsequent Clemson possession, leading the Tigers on a 39-3 run over the game’s final 3 quarters to hand his team a decisive championship victory. After the game,  Swinney gushed about his young quarterback, who seized the opportunity his coaches (some may say, finally) gave him.

“We already knew he was going in, and then Cade went in and played well, and it happened. That’s how it goes,” Swinney said. “Cade was ready, and you got a chance to see what he can do. He played in rhythm. Guys made plays for him. You can see he’s really fast. He can make plays with his legs. It was a great night, and again, a glimpse of our future and what it looks like at Clemson. I’m really happy for him, and yeah, definitely has earned his opportunity to go start (the Orange Bowl).”

Oh but what if Klubnik had played — or perhaps, more fairly, been ready to play — sooner.

On a championship weekend where all the pieces fell into place around the sport that a 1-loss, ACC champion Clemson almost certainly would have made the College Football Playoff over the eventual No. 4 pick, an Ohio State team that did not win its division– Clemson was left playing for “just” the ACC Championship and an Orange Bowl bid.

What if?

Well, first things first. Klubnik was ready Saturday night. A month ago, that wasn’t quite the case. As Swinney said last week, Klubnik came in against Notre Dame but threw a costly interception, a sign he wasn’t quite ready to take the reins from DJ Uiagalelei, who played so well in September and October but fell apart down the stretch, a huge reason Clemson lost 2 football games in November.

Could the Tigers have gone to Klubnik and beaten South Carolina? Perhaps, but they also could have just handed the football to Will Shipley more too, instead of limiting him to 2 4th-quarter touches in a game where he had been a one-man wrecking ball for 3 quarters. Give your best football player the ball more in a rivalry game, and maybe  Klubnik’s first start is a Peach Bowl semifinal against Georgia.

The point? There are a whole lot of “what ifs” surrounding this Tigers team, and they don’t begin and end with the saga of a struggling  Uiagalelei and freshman Klubnik.

Take Nate Wiggins, the star and defensive MVP of the ACC Championship.

Wiggins blocked a punt, broke up 2 passes in the end zone, and, with the game still in the balance midway through the third quarter, returned this Drake Maye pass 98 yards for a touchdown to put the game to bed and start Clemson’s championship celebration.

Wiggins struggled early in the year, especially against Wake Forest, when the sophomore corner gave up 3 touchdowns in 1-on-1 coverage in a game where Clemson couldn’t stop the Demon Deacons, but was saved by Uiagalelei’s offensive heroics. Wiggins body language on the sideline, a combination of angry finger pointing and flummoxed defeatism, caught the attention of none other than Swinney. The Clemson head coach told Wiggins he could pout or he could put his head down and play. Saturday night, Swinney praised Wiggins choice to become one of Clemson’s best players.

“I’m really proud of him,” Swinney said. “He’s a very, very talented young man. He’s a guy that early on just a little rough around the edges, a little immature when it comes to really doing what you need to do, and man, he’s just come full circle. In less than 2 months, he really has. He’s a great teammate. The players love him. And he’s a special corner, and you saw that tonight.”

What if that happened sooner?

Just a week before the ACC Championship, Wiggins and the Tigers’ secondary were strafed by Spencer Rattler for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Saturday, they intercepted Maye, the ACC Player of the Year, twice and didn’t allow a passing touchdown.

“We know what we are capable of, and you saw all of it tonight playing for a championship,” Wiggins told Saturday Road following the game. “We weren’t what we should have been for much of the year, but our coaches kept saying, keep working, keep improving. Tonight we played consistent, Clemson football. It feels good. It feels special to win a championship.”

Winning championships.

That’s become the custom for Clemson under Swinney. As Saturday night bled into Sunday morning though, it was hard to not feel like the Tigers could and can do more.

After losing multiple games and missing the College Football Playoff for the second season in a row, Clemson has seen its star fade. Sure, this is an ACC Championship program until further notice. But is it a perennial Playoff powerhouse?

Suddenly, an Orange Bowl game becomes what a New Year’s 6/BCS game was for Swinney’s program a decade ago: a proving ground. Throw in the fact it comes against a powerful team from the SEC in Tennessee and the similarities between this game and that fateful Clemson-LSU Peach Bowl that changed the way people viewed Clemson as a program become almost eerie.

What if? That’s fair to ask about Clemson in 2022. The ACC Champions, however, may prefer to focus on what will be, beginning with the Orange Bowl and moving forward into 2023.

Awards Season: Handing out some Saturday Road “Best of the ACC” Hardware

All season, The Road handed out the Bobby Bowden Awards, honoring the ACC’s best ever — Bobby Bowden — by honoring the ACC’s best players every weekend. Now, with championship week and the regular season behind us– we honor the best of the ACC in 2022. 

Charlie Ward Offensive Player of the Year Award: Drake Maye, North Carolina

Maye’s closing 3 games left something to be desired, but he was still the best offensive player in the ACC throughout 2022. The redshirt freshman captured ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year honors last week, well-deserved after a regular season that saw him throw for 4,115 yards, 35 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. Maye also added 653 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns on the ground, including Carolina’s lone touchdown in the ACC Championship.

Maye was the subject of transfer speculation this week, given the NIL money he could make at a bigger football program, but he put that to bed — I think- Saturday night after the ACC Championship when he announced he intends to return to North Carolina next season and “can’t wait to put the Carolina blue on again.” What a year for a program that didn’t know what to expect in August when it faced the prospect of facing Sam Howell.

Mickey Andrews Defensive Player of the Year Award: Jared Verse, DE, Florida State

Verse didn’t win an individual week honor, but he was the most consistent defender in the conference in 2022 and a huge reason for FSU’s surge from 5-7 to 9-3 and a quality bowl. The Seminoles edge rusher had 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, both tied for the ACC lead (Calijah Kancey, Pitt). He also led the ACC in quarterback pressures with 41. Verse was at his best in big games, picking up 2 sacks in FSU’s upset of LSU in Week 1, collecting a season-high 5 tackles in the Noles’ win over Florida, adding 2 tackles for a loss and a sack against Wake Forest, and leading a dominant defensive performance against Syracuse with 4 tackles, 7 pressures and a sack. FSU finished the season with the ACC’s top-ranked defense with Verse’s help, also ranking 14th in the country in total defense. 

Sebastian Janikowski Special Teams Player of the Year Award: Christopher Dunn, K, NC State

Dunn, a Lou Groza Award finalist, connected on an overtime field goal to beat archrival North Carolina in Chapel Hill, a feat that by itself qualifies him for sainthood in Raleigh. In the almost 5 full seasons prior to that Black Friday moment, Dunn made all 200 of his extra point attempts at NC State. He also became the ACC”s all-time leading scorer this season (besting the award’s namesake). Dunn connected on a staggering 24-of-25 field-goal attempts in 2022, which included an impressive 10-for-11 on kicks of 40 yards or more. My Lou Groza vote, Dunn was the best kicker in a league full of tremendous ones in 2022. 

A few more season awards … for the Road

Game of the Year: Clemson 51, Wake Forest 45: The Tigers rallied in the 4th quarter to force overtime, and then won the game in the second game when their defense finally stopped Sam Hartman (20-29, 337 yards, 6 touchdowns!!) to survive in Winston-Salem. The hero of the day for Clemson?  Uiagalelei, who showed what an improved player he became in 2022 with 423 total yards passing and rushing and 5 touchdown passes, including the game-winner, a 21-yard strike to Davis Allen.

In a year that saw plenty of surprises and a few rivalry game thrillers, including UNC’s dramatic win at Duke and a shootout between Florida State and Florida, the Demon Deacons and Tigers delivered the ACC’s best football game of 2022.

Best Crowd: Carter-Finley Stadium: The best home-field advantage in college football, at least over the past 6 seasons, has been Clemson. The Tigers won 40 consecutive games in Death Valley over that span until South Carolina ended the streak over Thanksgiving weekend.

But ask ACC fans and players about the best environment and you’ll be surprised how often the answer is NC State.

“Loudest ACC venue I’ve ever played in, not even close,” FSU quarterback Jordan Travis told Saturday Road. “Incredible place to get the chance to play.”

Travis and the Seminoles were one of several teams to fall just short in Raleigh this year, where the Wolfpack were 6-1. In fact, until a November upset loss to Boston College, NC State had won 16 consecutive home games of its own. The Pack are powerful at home, buoyed by a student section that feels on top of the action and the tailgating scene is perhaps the best in the conference too, the rare “football school” along Tobacco Road.

Fat Man of the Year: D’Mitri Emmanuel, OL, Florida State: The Seminoles nabbed Emmanuel in the portal from Charlotte, where he had been a longtime starter for the 49ers. All the big man did was earn All-ACC honors on a rebuilt FSU offensive line that went from the team’s glaring weakness to a point of strength in 2022, powering a run game that ranked 10th nationally in yards per attempt. The man nicknamed Meech also dressed up like Rick Ross the week of the LSU game, loosening up the locker room with this incredible performance of “Blowin’ Money Fast,” which he backed up with 3 pancake blocks in the Seminoles’ upset of the Tigers.

There’s nothing like a Fat Man dressed as Rick Ross to set the tone for a special season, right?

Coach of the Year: Mike Elko, Duke: A hire no one seemed to raise an eyebrow about, Elko orchestrated the fastest turnaround of any ACC program in several years, taking David Cutcliffe’s final squad, which went 3-9, and winning (at least) 8 games in 2022, including a thrilling regular-season-ending win over Wake Forest.

The Blue Devils were frighteningly close to being 12-0, by the way. They lost 4 games by 1 score or less, and 3 of those losses came by a field goal or less.

If you are in a “confidence” betting pool for bowl season, expect Duke to show up and win. Elko, who “hired good people and let them do their jobs,” per a Clemson assistant who spoke on the condition of anonymity this week, is the best coaching story in the Power 5 this season. “He’s so good, so meticulous, so attentive to every aspect of that operation. I think he’ll win a bunch there and be off to bigger, better things within 4 years. He’s that good. Duke hit a home run,” the assistant said. It certainly appears that way after 1 season.

Hot Plate of the Year: The Local, Charlottesville, Virginia:  When in Charlottesville on a weekend this spring for Hoos hoops or next autumn for UVA’s return to the football field, please make sure to hit up The Local. Located on Hinton Avenue, The Local is perfect for date night or a hearty pregame meal with family and friends. The Local specializes in bringing the Shenandoah Valley to your table, as the name suggests. To start, get the table a Caromont goat cheese salad — they won’t cheat you on the portions, and make sure you get the pimento macaroni and cheese, a southern foodie twist on a comfort food staple.

When it is time for mains, you can’t go wrong with the trout or the locally sourced short ribs, but to please the foodie in the family, tackle a plate of the gnocchi bolognese. All of the food you’ll be served comes from nearby farms, vendors and breweries, with the exception of the wines, which are curated with care by the resident mixologist.

The menu makes it clear what you are eating, too, with every ingredient itemized so that you know the source of anything on your plate. Reservations are optimal on gameday weekends in the fall, but when it is Tony Bennett season for the Hoos, you can get a table with ease if you are willing to sit and wait 10-15 minutes.

Bowl Mania: ACC Edition

One-sentence previews and a prediction for every ACC bowl matchup. Bowl season!! Huzzah!!

A busy bowl season is on tap for the ACC. Here’s Saturday Road’s first quick glance at each game:

Orange Bowl: No. 7 Clemson at No. 6 Tennessee — A measuring stick for both programs, a Clemson win would go a long way to show that Dabo’s dynasty isn’t dead. Saturday Road’s pick? Clemson. 

Holiday Bowl: North Carolina vs. No. 15 Oregon — The Tar Heels have lost 3 straight games, but a west coast matchup against an Oregon team with an explosive run game and a healthy Bo Nix  will give them one last shot at a signature win. Saturday Road’s pick? Oregon. 

Cheez-It Bowl: No. 13 Florida State vs. Oklahoma — The Seminoles make their first bowl appearance under Mike Norvell and get a Sooners team that pulled a Bedlam upset to become bowl eligible in a fun battle of college football bluebloods. Saturday Road’s pick? Florida State. 

Gator Bowl: No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina — In one of the best bowl matchups, Marcus Freeman’s first bowl trip with Notre Dame will be a battle with a hot Gamecocks team that ruined College Football Playoff dreams for  Tennessee and bitter rival Clemson. Saturday Road’s Pick? Notre Dame. 

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: No. 23 NC State vs. Maryland — After flying across the country only to have their Holiday Bowl game canceled at the last minute a season ago, NC State can breathe easy knowing they are 3 hours from home in Charlotte to play Mike Locksley’s explosive Maryland team this year. Saturday Road’s Pick? NC State. 

Military Bowl: Duke vs. UCF — The football coaching subplots are rich in this battle between UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, a longtime SEC head coach, and Duke head coach Mike Elko, a longtime SEC defensive coordinator. Saturday Road’s Pick? Duke. 

Sun Bowl: Pitt vs. No. 18 UCLA — Two of the nation’s best running backs in Israel Abanikanda and UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet match up in El Paso in a matchup almost worth suffering through 4 hours of Gary Danielson. Saturday Road’s Pick? UCLA. 

Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse vs. Minnesota — Like the Sun Bowl, this game features 2 of the nation’s best running backs in Mohamed Ibrahim of Minnesota (1,594 yards this season) and Sean Tucker of Syracuse. Saturday Road’s Pick? Minnesota. 

Gasparilla Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Missouri — Sam Hartman closes his Wake Forest career against one of the nation’s best defenses in Missouri in an intriguing contrast of styles that is just the type of game Dave Clawson usually wins. Saturday Road’s Pick? Wake Forest. 

Fenway Bowl: Louisville vs. Cincinnati — A year ago, the Bearcats were preparing for the College Football Playoff under Luke Fickell, so forgive them if they aren’t too interested in a bowl on a Boston baseball field under an interim coach. Saturday Road’s Pick? Louisville. 

Enjoy bowl season, and from Mondays on the Road to all of you, happy holidays and a blessed New Year!