CLEMSON | Before it built a fortress atop the college football mountain, Clemson football was defined by barriers confronted and overcome.

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Dabo Swinney found himself and his players having to answer for various streaks that supposedly put a limit on what the Tigers could achieve.

Two decades without an ACC title, until the 2011 team broke through (they've since won six).

All sorts of problems against Boston College, which beat Clemson four times in six years (Clemson has beaten the Eagles nine straight times).

The unprecedented and almost apocalyptic five-game losing streak to South Carolina (Clemson has won six straight).

Going from 2003 to 2016 without a win at Georgia Tech, and losing to Paul Johnson five times in eight tries (Clemson has won five straight and dusted the Jackets in Atlanta on its last two trips).

Point is, all those past monsters are now dust-covered skeletons as the ultimate question facing Clemson is how often the Tigers will bring home college football's ultimate prize.