It's official: Clemson dethroned after six seasons as ACC football champion
Clemson's reign as ACC champion has ended.
And in dramatic fashion.
The Tigers, who had won the previous six conference championships, were eliminated from the 2021 race when N.C. State rallied Friday night to defeat North Carolina 34-30 in its regular-season finale.
The Wolfpack (9-3) and Clemson (8-3) finish with identical 6-2 records in ACC play, but N.C. State defeated the Tigers 27-21 in overtime on Sept. 25 and thus holds a tiebreaker advantage in the Atlantic Division race.
The Wolfpack will win the Atlantic only if Wake Forest (9-2, 6-1) loses Saturday against Boston College. That would create a three-way tie atop the division that N.C. State would win by virtue of its division record and win over the Tigers.
Clemson's hopes were slim entering this final weekend of the regular season. The Tigers needed two teams above them to lose -- N.C. State to North Carolina and Wake Forest to Boston College.
With 2:12 left in the game, N.C. State appeared to be headed to the loss Clemson neeed. The Tar Heels' Grayson Atkins kicked a 50-yard field goal to give UNC a 30-21 lead.
But Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary threw two touchdown passes in a 26-second span, with N.C. State recovering an onside kick in between, to stun North Carolina.
Leary passed to Emeka Emezie for a 64-yard touchdown with 1:35 left to cut the Wolfpack's deficit to 30-28, and then five pass plays after the onside kick, Leary and Emezie connected again, this time for a 24-yard touchdown and a 34-30 lead with 1:09 remaining. A two-point conversion attempt failed.
North Carolina moved to N.C. State's 30, but Sam Howell's final-play pass was intercepted.
Clemson closes its regular season on Saturday night at South Carolina (6-5).
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: It's official: Clemson dethroned after 6 seasons as ACC football champ
