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When Dabo Swinney hired Chad Morris and his tempo away from Tulsa eight years ago, the foundation was an offense that was totally new and different in the ACC.

Swinney knew how much trouble it was for his defense to suddenly face something totally oddball in its yearly clashes with Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech.

While Morris' offense was nothing like Johnson's, the principle was the same: Show people stuff they're not used to seeing.

The thinking worked masterfully during Morris' time at Clemson from 2011 to 2014. Florida State was the supreme being for most of that time, but the Tigers still vexed the rest of the ACC with a supercharged offense.

From mid-2008 to the end of 2010, Swinney's ACC record was 13-9. From 2011 to 2014, it was 27-6. And three of the losses were to a powerhouse Seminoles program.

The tempo topic is interesting at present for two reasons: 1) How Clemson has dialed it back at times to control games and lean on a dominant defense; and 2) How so many other schools have tried to adopt it as a way of life.