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No. 3 Clemson stands alone in the ACC after blowing out No. 16 NC State

Travis Etienne celebrates with Milan Richard. Etienne scored 3 TDs against NC State. (AP)
Travis Etienne celebrates with Milan Richard. Etienne scored 3 TDs against NC State. (AP)

It’s Clemson and everyone else in the ACC.

That was a statement you could have made entering Week 8. But after the No. 3 Tigers’ 41-7 blowout of No. 16 NC State on Saturday, it’s a sentence that can be constructed with extreme confidence now.

NC State was, we thought, Clemson’s biggest threat. The Wolfpack was undefeated heading into the game and had given Clemson fits recently. Unfortunately for NC State, the past was not indicative of the present.

QB Ryan Finley threw two interceptions and struggled to get anything going downfield. Finley’s first pick came late in the second quarter and Clemson turned it into a field goal and a 24-0 halftime lead. The second came in the third quarter as NC State started the second half with the ball and a chance to get to within two scores with a TD and two-point conversion.

Clemson extended its lead to 31-0 shortly after and freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence was able to watch much of the fourth quarter from the sideline.

Travis Etienne is emerging as a serious Heisman threat

The best offensive player on the best team in the country usually gets some serious Heisman consideration. While that player is currently Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, Clemson running back Travis Etienne deserves to be with Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the second tier of Heisman candidates.

Etienne’s stats Saturday weren’t very good. He had just 15 carries for 36 yards and a catch for 24 yards. But he scored three rushing touchdowns and now has six rushing scores over the last two games. Etienne has also combined for 12 touchdowns through the first seven games of the season. That’s tied for the most total touchdowns among all Power Five running backs and receivers.

It’s going to be nearly impossible for Etienne to keep his current scoring rate up for the rest of the season. But if he can get to 20 or more total touchdowns and Clemson keeps winning, he’s got a great chance at being a Heisman finalist.

So, who is the biggest threat to Clemson?

Now that NC State has been eliminated from the conversation, it’s time to figure out who Clemson’s biggest challenger is now. The title seems to fall to Boston College (5-2, 2-1 ACC), who plays the Tigers Nov. 10 at home. The Eagles have a good defense and a strong running game — provided running back A.J. Dillon is healthy — but also lost to NC State earlier in the season.

After BC, it’s probably a Florida State team that’s now 2-3 in the ACC after beating Wake Forest. Yeah, that’s not saying much. The Tigers have a very visible path to the ACC championship game.

Right now, Clemson’s opponent would appear to be Virginia Tech. Yes, the team that lost to Old Dominion leads the ACC Coastal standings at 3-0. Behind the Hokies are Virginia, Miami and Pitt. None of those four teams should scare Clemson fans. Don’t take an undefeated season for granted, Clemson fans. But a College Football Playoff berth is looking very achievable.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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