The 2021 season gave some good ammunition to the segment of Clemson folks who couldn't care less about what happens elsewhere in the ACC.

The conference finally achieved some of that long-desired parity, but a part of it was Clemson and the ACC being left out of the playoff party for the first time in the format's eight-year history.

In addition: For the first time since 2011, the conference failed to have a representative in the Top 10 of the final AP poll.