This time next week, top-ranked Clemson will be in Winston-Salem, N.C., getting ready to play college football. The Tigers open the 2020 football season at Wake Forest with a 7:30 p.m. kick on ABC.

It has been a long journey to get to this point, a point many did not think was going to happen back in March when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down the entire sports world for more than two months. Since then protocols and guidelines have been established, workouts finally started back up, schedules were rearranged and finally there was practice.

Now, after months of speculation there might not be a football season, a new season is about to begin for the Clemson football team and the rest of the ACC.

“That is kind of what you feel with the team, too,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “They have worked really hard. We never had this amount of football. As long as I have been in college, we have never had this amount of time to be with our guys.”

The coaches have been with their players in some kind of in-person instruction since mid-July. Typically, in the summer they can’t meet with players until they get into fall camp.

“We started spring practice in February, so we have been meeting with our guys non-stop since February and March,” Swinney said. “And then when we went virtual and I learned what Zoom was and Microsoft Team and all of that stuff, we met all of March, April, May, June and July and then we got back in-person, mandatory, in July. Then we were actually able to get out on the field and start doing walkthroughs and then we were able to get in camp.

“Then, obviously, are season was delayed and our camp time was set up to play (Thursday night) and obviously pushing everything back, we have to adjust our camp. But it has allowed for the most time we have ever had to try to get ready.”

It is time Swinney said the Tigers needed to get ready.

“It seems like it has been a long, long time, but these guys are excited to play. Obviously, we certainly wish the fans will be there, but that is not going to be an option this week,” Swinney said. “As I told the team, this will be the most watched college football season in the history of college football. So, what an opportunity we have. We really have a great opportunity.

“This pandemic can be a competitive advantage or a competitive disadvantage just depending on what you are made of and what your mindset is. These guys, I am really proud of and I am looking forward to seeing them play. And I know they are ready.”

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