The Clemson Tigers won again on Saturday afternoon, this time taking down the Louisville Cardinals in a dominant fashion. With the 77-16 win, the Tigers improved to 9-0 ahead of a highly anticipated matchup with Boston College next week. The 61 point margin of victory was Clemson’s fourth straight win of more than 30 points, and their sixth of the season.

     While the narrative surrounding the team early in the season surrounded the efficiency of the offense, those questions no longer exist. After mediocre performances against Texas A&M and Syracuse, the Clemson offense has compiled an astounding 240 points over the last four games compared to 142 over the previous four. The most impressive part about Clemson’s recent offensive explosion has been their ability to score on the ground and through the air. Over the past four weeks, opponents have tried to take away either the run game or the passing game, but no one has come close to stopping both. In the wins over Louisville and Wake Forest, Clemson rushed for a combined 963 yards and 11 touchdowns. In the wins over NC State and Florida State, Clemson threw for 784 yards and six touchdowns.

     The biggest reason for Clemson’s recent success has been the improved play of Trevor Lawrence. With each game, Lawrence is seemingly gaining confidence and comfortability in the pocket. While Lawrence’s pure ability in the pocket has been exciting to watch, perhaps the of the most impressive aspect of Lawrence’s game is his unselfishness. After a career day at Florida State, throwing for 314 yards and four touchdowns, Lawrence was content with throwing just 12 passes against Louisville. The unselfish nature displayed by Lawrence can be seen across the entire roster. After putting up 370 yards and six touchdowns against Syracuse and Wake Forest, running back Travis Etienne became a dark horse Heisman candidate. The next two games however, Etienne netted just 25 touches, but Clemson won both games. Even dating back to the preseason when players like Mitch Hyatt, Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant sacrificed professional football for another chance to win at Clemson, unselfishness has been the team’s MO from day one. It is clear that despite the plethora of uber-talented players, there is not a single ego problem in Clemson’s locker room. Every player plays for one reason and one reason only–to win a championship.

     With each passing week, the road to the championship gets a little bit easier for Clemson. The biggest roadblock they must overcome before the College Football Playoff will come this week when they take on No. 17 Boston College on the road. Just a few hours after Clemson steamrolled past Louisville, the Alabama Crimson Tide demolished the LSU Tigers on the road by a score of 29-0. After meeting three consecutive times in the College Football Playoff, Alabama and Clemson are once again looking like the top two teams in the nation by a wide margin. While teams like Notre Dame, Michigan and Georgia are very talented and versatile squads, an Alabama vs Clemson part four is seeming more and more inevitable with each passing week.

     While it’s tempting to look at what the future might hold, the Tigers will certainly not be thinking about Alabama for at least a month. Right now, the team will be focused on stopping one of the most talented running backs in the nation in AJ Dillon and securing another win against a ranked opponent.