CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dabo Swinney threw his headset and took off sprinting, his arms outstretched as he made his way toward midfield, then rounded a curve near the 40-yard line.

Nolan Hauser 's 56-yard field goal as time expired lifted No. 17 Clemson to a 34-31 win over No. 8 SMU in the ACC championship game. With the win, Clemson shook up the College Football Playoff standings by earning an automatic berth into the playoff as a conference champion.

Clemson had the ACC Championship in its collective hands. The Tigers saw SMU try and rip if from them. A 56-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser saved the day. The Tigers downed the Mustangs 34-31 in a thrilling ACC Championship Game on Saturday in Charlotte.