Mapping the Atlantic race

One down, two to go.

The Atlantic Division title picture grew a lot clearer Saturday.

As Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, it’s a two-horse race between the Tigers (4-2 ACC) and Boston College (3-2).
Losses by Wake Forest, Maryland and FSU means that the bottom four teams (including N.C. State) have four losses, and it would take a total collapse by the two leaders for other tiebreakers to be invoked.

Clemson has the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Boston College by virtue of its 25-7 victory in Death Valley on Sept. 19.

By my 2 a.m. math, the Tigers can reach the Dec. 5 ACC title game in Tampa, Fla. (Georgia Tech rematch, anyone?), by:

• 1) Winning their final two ACC games, next week at N.C. State and then the home finale against Virginia; or

• 2) Win one, and get one Boston College loss.

The Eagles have three remaining ACC games: at Virginia, vs. UNC and at Maryland.

Can’t imagine that even a decent team would lose to Virginia or Maryland at this point.

But hey, the Tigers lost to Maryland. And Boston College is winless on the road, perfect at home.

C.J. Spiller (312 all-purpose yards), Kyle Parker (4 TDs) and the Clemson defense (five turnovers forced) are gonna get a lot of love in today’s stories, and deservedly so.

But to me, the role players are the ones who made the difference in the Tigers getting over the choke hump (at least this week).

RB Andre Ellington, WR Xavier Dye, CB Byron Maxwell, TE Durrell Barry – lots of key plays by the bit guys.