Clemson has a much needed bye week before heading into ACC play in Week 4.

During their first two games, the year has started off in an interesting fashion.

But when taking away the scores of both games, most Clemson fans expected the team to be 1-1 heading into their bye. Losing to Georgia 34-3 certainly wasn’t a good sign, but it was a game they were expected to lose.

Ultimately, it didn’t change anything for Clemson.

If they win the ACC championship, they’ll be in the College Football Playoff.

Having a better resume would’ve been helpful, but the focus is on winning the conference, something that seems very possible with how the ACC, as a whole, has played heading into Week 3.

But it’s also fair to say that Clemson has warranted questions.

What type of team are they?

Are they team that beat a good App State program by 46 points, or are they the team that lost to the No. 1 squad in America by 31?

It’s likely somewhere in the middle.

That’s why Grace Raynor of The Athletic believes Clemson’s Week 4 game against North Carolina State will help determine their “identity.”

“The Georgia game showed us that — at least in Week 1 — the Tigers still had the same issues from the last three years… But just one week later, Clemson rolled up 712 yards of total offense against App State. Quarterback Cade Klubnik looked like a new person, throwing for 378 yards and five touchdowns… That’s what makes the NC State game next week so fascinating. Clemson couldn’t hang with the best team in the country but dominated a Group of 5 opponent the following week. NC State will be right in the middle and should give us a better look at what Clemson’s identity may be.”

NC State is in a somewhat similar position to Clemson.

While not nearly as talented as the Tigers, they entered the season as a top-25 team by most polls. However, the Wolfpack were dismantled against Tennessee in Week 2, losing 51-10 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

NC State is somewhere in between Georgia and App State. Georgia would likely beat them in a similar way that Tennessee did, and they’d likely find success against App State.

For Clemson, this could be the first time this season they play a team in the same tier as them. Even if NC State is a tier or two below, it’s much closer than their other two contests.

A big win at home would grow some confidence and, perhaps, even change the opinions about this football team.

Vice President Kamala Harris made two stops in the battleground state of North Carolina, drawing thousands of cheering supporters to rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro in her first campaign events following a debate that that most observers say she won. 

She sprinkled anecdotes from Tuesday’s presidential debate into her speech Thursday evening at the Greensboro Coliseum.

As she talked about keeping the Affordable Care Act, she had people laughing when she asked them to remember President Donald Trump’s response at the debate that he has “concepts of a plan” for health insurance. 

“That means no plan,” she said. 

Often, cheers from about 20,000 people packing the coliseum were so loud that the roar competed with the building’s sound system.

“Donald Trump refused to say he would veto a national abortion ban,” she said, recalling a sequence of debate answers. “When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as President of the United States, I will…” Harris said at past events she will proudly sign that bill into law. On Thursday, the crowd’s cheering made the line nearly inaudible in some sections of the building. 

Both Harris and Trump campaigned in toss up states Thursday. Trump was in Tucson, Ariz. 

At about the time that Harris was in North Carolina calling for another presidential debate, Trump was in Tucson saying he wouldn’t do one. 

“Because we’ve done two debates and because they were successful, there will be no third debate,” Trump told an Arizona audience. 

Trump and President Joe Biden debated in June. Biden dropped out of the race about three weeks after his shaky debate performance and endorsed Harris. 

Trump maintains he won the debate with Harris, but polls say otherwise.

An average of three national polls compiled by 538 had Harris winning the debate 57% to 34%. One of three was a Republican-sponsored poll. 

Trump said in Tucson that he looked angry during the debate because he is angry about illegal immigration. 

The North Carolina Republican Party on Thursday released a statement blaming Harris for illegal border crossings. 

Democratic presidential candidates have zeroed in on North Carolina for years, but for the last three elections the state has been a just-out-of-reach prize. 

Barack Obama in 2008 was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state. Former President Donald Trump won North Carolina in 2020 by fewer than 75,000 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast. 

Rally-goers Thursday sensed a shift in Democrats’ direction.

Tonya McDaniel of Forsyth County said Harris can win unaffiliated voters. 

“I think that they will realize that she actually does have a plan and not a concept,” McDaniel said. 

Brian Carter made the trip to Greensboro from Wake Forest to see if all the excitement about Harris that he was hearing about was real before he got his hopes up. 

“It feels real,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting.”

He’s looking forward to the enthusiasm and energy surrounding Harris leading to a victory in November. 

In a race that appears so close, campaigns are scrapping for every vote. 

Gov. Roy Cooper introduces Harris at her North Carolina rallies. On Thursday, he sounded like a coach readying a team before a big game as he talked to the audience. 

“Are we going to knock on doors? Are we going to make phone calls? Are we going to talk to our neighbors and friends?” 

The crowd shouted ‘yes’ in response to every question. 

“Let’s go get ‘em guys,” Cooper said before he exited the stage.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Riding high on momentum two days after the presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris was greeted by a deafening crowd here Thursday, eager to see the Democratic nominee push to the next phase of her campaign.

Harris told supporters it was time to turn the page from Donald Trump while again challenging the former president to a second debate, which she did earlier in the day at her rally in Charlotte.

“We owe it to the voters. Because here’s the thing: In this election, what’s at stake could not be more important,” she said.

On Thursday, Trump said he would not participate in another debate against Harris and complained that the ABC News moderators at Tuesday’s event were unfair.

In her remarks, Harris made the case that Trump would not respect the U.S. Constitution if he were re-elected, pointing to his assertion that he would be a dictator on Day One. She also noted that some of the highest-placed officials in his administration have since warned against Trump’s gaining access to the White House again.

“Put that all in the context of people who have been talking about how he was when they served with him in the White House, people who saw him every day, his national security adviser, his defense secretary, his chief of staff and his vice president, all, all of whom have warned America Donald Trump is not fit to be president,” she said as the crowd roared.

Harris turned out more than 17,000 people in this city of about 300,000 residents after she spoke to a crowd of 7,500 in Charlotte. The large audiences are positive signs for Democrats as they seek to turn North Carolina blue for the first time since Barack Obama won in 2008.

Before she arrived at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, a massive party was already underway. Thousands of people waved and jumped in unison to a DJ; later, some performed a line dance, while others linked arms and danced jubilantly.

After the second rally, Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said in a brief interview that Harris could turn the state blue, pointing to the explosive energy in the venue.

“There’s a reason why Donald Trump spent more money in August in North Carolina than any other state — because they’re panicking,” he said. “They know that Kamala Harris is at least tied or maybe even taking the lead in North Carolina. Donald Trump has no other path to the presidency. He must win North Carolina.

“We know that if Kamala Harris wins North Carolina, she is the next president of the United States,” he continued. “We did this in 2008. North Carolina voted for Barack Obama and made history. North Carolina is ready to make history again.”