Clemson Football: 3 Takeaways from ACC Championship Game win over Miami

No. 1 Clemson football crushed the Miami Hurricanes in the 2017 ACC Championship Game to secure the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The 2017 ACC Championship Game looked to be a potential play-in game for the College Football Playoff. Both No. 7 Miami and No. 1 Clemson were in striking distance of the final four and a conference championship plus a signature win would position whomever ended up on top as a clear pick for the four selections.

Clemson, the defending national champions, has been here before. The Tigers were representing the ACC Atlantic division for the fifth time in the last nine years and making their third consecutive appearance. Miami had never appeared in the ACC Championship game having won their first ACC Coastal division title this season.

The pairing was a matchup of the established giant against the up-and-coming contender. Dabo Swinney‘s team came out swinging and before the Hurricanes established which side was up they trailed by 14 points in the first quarter. The Canes’ deficit would extend to 21 points at half and continue to grow throughout the remainder of the game.

All hopes of Miami making the finish respectable faded early in the second half. Clemson took a 38-0 lead into the fourth quarter and went on to win 38 to 3. Here are three takeaways from Clemson’s win over Miami in the 2017 ACC Championship Game.