Fortuna Files: Clemson gets rude awakening. Plus, is Deion Sanders responsible for the latest realignment wave?
There is no shortage of takeaways from one full week of the college football season, as surprises happened everywhere, from ACC country to ... well, ACC country.
Note: Fortuna Files will run each Monday in-season moving forward.
If you told me two months ago that the ACC would begin the first weekend of the season by adding Cal, Stanford and SMU, I would have told you that you’re crazy.
If you told me two months ago that the ACC would close the first weekend of the season by having Duke destroy Clemson, I would have recommended a doctor for you.
Such is the madness that has been 2023 in college football, where we were reminded — again — that the games trump all, no matter how hard the suits in charge of the sport try to get in the way of things.
Duke’s 28-7 stunner over Clemson on Labor Day was the perfect capper to a wild weekend that has already had us re-thinking several season-long storylines.
In the short term, it reinforced two truths that have been evident the last couple of years:
1. Mike Elko is one helluva football coach.
2. Clemson’s days as a legitimate title contender are numbered, if not completely over.