For many years, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney effectively ran the ACC, winning the conference championship in nine of his 18 seasons and turning his program into a national powerhouse in a region ruled by Nick Saban and Alabama for much longer. Very few teams in the conference answer the Tigers. Fortunately for Duke and the rest of the ACC, Swinney's stubbornness to change with the times of college football put his program on the back burner as a once-glistening institution in the sport during the 2010s. For a handful of seasons, outside of the occasional Tiger ACC title, the conference has been wide open, including last year when the Blue Devils won the ACC, and Miami reached the National Championship. Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz lifts the ACC trophy with offensive lineman Justin Pickett (77) and defensive tackle Aaron Hall (99) after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers at the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium.…