Clemson’s 2021 season hasn’t gone as planned. The Tigers dropped the season-opener to Georgia and lost two ACC games before Halloween.

But the Tigers have rebounded since an Oct. 23 loss to Pitt to win four consecutive games, including Saturday’s dominating win over No. 10 Wake Forest.

The win keeps Clemson alive in the hunt for the ACC Atlantic title — it will need Wake Forest and NC State to lose next week, but it’s still possible. But if not, it will snap a streak of six consecutive ACC Championships for the Tigers.

After the win, coach Dabo Swinney had a message for Clemson fans who have been (understandably) disappointed with how this season has gone.

“I hope if anything comes from this season, people can appreciate what’s happened at Clemson over the previous seasons and how hard it is to win,” Swinney told reporters.

Clemson’s conference slate is over with a 6-2 record. It’s the first time the Tigers have lost multiple ACC games in a season since 2014.

Clemson’s offense has looked better in recent weeks. The Tigers scored 48 points on Wake Forest, marking just the third time they’ve cleared the 30-point threshold vs. a Power 5 opponent this season.

Looking ahead to next week, Clemson will go on the road to face rival South Carolina in the regular season finale. It will know ahead of time if it has a chance to win the ACC Atlantic, as NC State faces North Carolina on Friday night. Wake Forest will meet Boston College on Saturday afternoon.

Kickoff vs. the Gamecocks is at 7:30 p.m. ET.