Stay classy, Steve Spurrier

So let me get this straight: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney makes a heartfelt, sincere statement of support and sympathy for South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Saturday, and Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier uses the opportunity to issue a snide dig at the Tigers?

"Jackass," indeed.

Tigers ranked No. 9 in both polls

Clemson returned to the top 10 on Sunday in both major college football polls.

 The Tigers reached No. 9 in both, a jump of four spots from the previous week.

Clemson 42, Wake Forest 13: Record-setting win

The Tigers broke all kinds of offensive records in Thursday's big 42-13 victory over Wake Forest, and they also might have put an end to Clemson's Thursday-nigh jynx. Twofer.

RECORDS FALL: A rundown of which were broken. Also, the win tied an ACC record for most high-scoring games in a row.

A BIG STEP? Coach Dabo Swinney sees Thursday's victory as a landmark in a lot of ways.

DABO SPEAKS: "We got into a great rhythm."

Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 17: Defense steps up

Wonders never cease. Clemson's defense came to play on Saturday, helping the Tigers dismantle Virginia Tech 38-17.

Clemson forced four turnovers en route to the win.

DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND: Very welcome at this point in the season.

DABO SPEAKS: About the game.

Clemson 47, Georgia Tech 31: Crucial win

Clemson rolled up big numbers on offense on Saturday en route to a big 47-31 victory against ACC rival Georgia Tech. The victory puts the Tigers at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC as they head into a week off before facing Virginia Tech at home on Oct. 20.

OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: The Tigers rolled up 601 yards of offense on Saturday.

RECORD SETTER: Quarterback Tajh Boyd is setting all kinds of marks this season.

DABO SPEAKS: "We won every quarter."

POLL PROGRESS: Clemson moved up to No. 13 in the USA TODAY poll.

Can Clemson handle GT's triple option?

Clemson faces old rival Georgia Tech on Saturday in a key ACC game, and the big question is whether the Tigers' struggling defense can stop the Yellow Jackets' triple-option offense. Let's hope they can.

CONFIDENCE GAME: Clemson is gaining confidence after the tough loss to Florida State two weeks ago.

HOW TECH WINS: Strike quickly.

HOW CLEMSON WINS: Outscore the Jackets. No, seriously.

TROUBLE SPOTS: Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington is a big one.

IT'S DEATH VALLEY AGAIN: Clemson is 22-3 at home since a home loss to Georgia Tech in 2008 -- Dabo Swinney's first game as coach.

Notre Dame saves the ACC, schedulewise?

Thanks to the addition of Notre Dame to the league, the ACC has abandoned plans for a nine-game conference schedule. According to the Orange and White, that means that Clemson can now play a high-quality opponent (*cough* Georgia *cough*) every year instead of, oh, Duke.

Sounds good to me.

Tigers lead ACC in five stat categories

Stats entertainment! Clemson is No. 1 in the ACC in interceptions, third-down conversions, fourth-down conversions and turnover margin, and Andre Ellington leads the league in rushing.

WATKINS RETURNS: Sammy Watkins returned to practice this week and will play against Georgia Tech after his "scary" illness kept him out against Boston College.

GAME TIME: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech goes off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.