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One of the most satisfying parts of last year's trouncing of Alabama was the offense making the Crimson Tide quit and holding the ball for the final 10 minutes of the game.

But Dabo Swinney might've been more satisfied by what happened the year before in New Orleans when his offense had the ball in the fourth quarter.

Yes, you read that right. Clemson won the former by 28 points for the national championship and lost the latter by 18 points in the CFP semifinal.

But well after that Sugar Bowl had gotten out of hand, well after frailties at quarterback and receiver and running back were exposed as fatal against elite competition, Swinney was watching closely.

He wanted to see if his offense was going to quit, and it never did. There wasn't much positive to take from that ugly night, but Swinney loved seeing his offense hold the ball for 18 plays and 75 yards when the game was no longer in doubt.

Swinney is looking for winners and champions, and those exquisite qualities come out not just when you're making plays that win championships.

They are also revealed -- perhaps more so -- when you're faced with a bad event that takes your breath away.

Last year, in Games 2 and 5, Swinney saw the mark of a champion and it had nothing to do with Trevor Lawrence or the guys who would slice up Alabama and Notre Dame in December and January.

If K'Von Wallace doesn't give it everything he has to poke that ball out of the end zone in College Station, how much is different in 2018?

If the entire team, minus Lawrence and Kelly Bryant against Syracuse, doesn't push through and fight like mad to win a game that was spinning out of control, how much of this past offseason is spent talking Clemson as the king of college football?

A large percentage of the current roster begins preparations for Game 2 with plenty to prove. That's just the way it is when there's so much inexperience, particularly on the defensive front.