Mack Brown explains how he relates to Dabo Swinney, Clemson being the 'gold standard'

Ahead of his showdown with the Clemson Tigers in the ACC championship game, North Carolina head coach Mack Brown took time to address Clemson and their head coach Dabo Swinney. While some in the media and individuals outside of the program have been critical of the Tigers in the last two seasons, Brown has not. In fact, the Tar Heels headman understands the level of excellence Clemson has displayed over the years, recently calling them the ‘gold standard.’

“Dabo’s done an unbelievable job. I can relate to the type of success he’s had because, at one time, we had that at Texas. And if you lose any games, it’s like it’s a disaster because their standard is so high,” said Brown. “One hundred sixty wins and 38 losses as the head coach at Clemson. Second winningest program since 2015 with 99 wins. He’s won two national championships. They’ve appeared in the College Football Playoff six times. They’ve won six straight ACC championships from 2015 to 2020. Seven seasons of at least 11 wins and a chance at an eighth this year. And four 14-win seasons.”

Clemson has enjoyed a level of college football excellence only rivaled by the likes of Alabama. A down year for their program was experienced last year when they went 9-3 in the regular season and won their bowl game against Iowa State to end the year 10-3. The Tigers’ down year would’ve been a season worth writing home about for almost every other college football school.

“It’s just been amazing what he’s been able to accomplish, and I’m proud for him and the Clemson program because they’ve been the standard in this league. Everybody’s trying to get facilities like theirs. Everybody loved to have a commitment like theirs to football, recruit like them, and win like them. So, last year was a little bit of a difference because we had two different teams playing for the conference championship. But everybody in this league is trying to get to the standard that Clemson is, and that’s the gold standard; that’s what we want.”

Early betting line for ACC Championship Game between Clemson, North Carolina is set

The early betting line for the ACC Championship Game is out and Clemson will enter as a double-digit favorite over North Carolina despite both programs stumbling at the end of the regular season.

The Tigers enter the game as a 10-point favorite, according to consensus betting lines listed at VegasInsider.com.

The ACC saw its playoff chances go up in smoke over the last couple weeks with Clemson and North Carolina unable to sustain their momentum to the finish line.

Clemson fell to South Carolina 31-30 on Saturday, dropping its second game in the last four weeks. North Carolina, meanwhile, lost its second straight game on Black Friday, falling to NC State 30-27 in double-overtime.

North Carolina, meanwhile, has seen its prolific offense suddenly slowed.

Quarterback Drake Maye, who had averaged 341.2 passing yards per game through the first 10 games for the Tar Heels, has been held in check in each of the last two games. Maye finished with just 202 yards passing, no touchdowns and one interception in the loss to Georgia Tech two weeks ago before finishing with 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the double-overtime loss to NC State.