David Teel, a longtime and distinguished ACC observer from Virginia, asked Florida State's athletics director a pointed and totally pertinent question earlier this week.

The way Michael Alford was talking, you'd have assumed the Seminoles had spent the better part of the past decade rolling right along as ACC schools elsewhere couldn't get out of their own way.

The reality is that, before last season's 10 wins, FSU was a big fish stinking up the small pond.

They couldn't get their priorities straight in how much money they wanted to spend on football, a big factor in Jimbo Fisher bolting for Texas A&M.

And they couldn't finish above .500 in ACC play over the eight seasons that followed their 2014 playoff run with Jameis Winston.

You read that right. Since amassing a 27-1 record in the conference from 2012 to 2014, the Seminoles have proceeded to win 32 ACC games and lose 32.

So if we're going to spend a lot of time gnashing our teeth over the lack of foresight from the conference and university leadership that thought it was a good idea to commit to such a long-term contract, then surely there should be some room to scrutinize another critical downfall.

You know, actual production.

Because at some point the discussion has to turn to actual production, and the lone school out there that actually has held up its end of the bargain.

That would be Clemson.

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