Clemson football's path to an ACC title and a possible playoff berth became much shorter after a surprising 33-21 loss to Louisville on Saturday night. Because the Tigers entered as the No. 11 team and were undefeated in ACC play, they were in position to compete for a spot in the ACC Championship. However, with both Miami and SMU securing wins and remaining undefeated in the conference, Clemson is now behind in the standings.

Louisville's offense took advantage of Clemson's defense, racking up 210 rushing yards and averaging nearly eight yards per carry, while the Tigers failed to score a sack or force a turnover. The offense also struggled to find a rhythm, unable to capitalize on Louisville's 76th-ranked pass defense. “We didn’t play anywhere near our best tonight,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It's a missed opportunity. Huge missed opportunity. We didn't deserve to win. They absolutely deserved the win.”

Swinney took responsibility, saying: “We looked like a very poorly coached team tonight and that's on me. “Just incredibly disappointed with our performance.” He also expressed his disappointment to the fans, admitting that “that was definitely missed tonight.”

Now Clemson needs to refocus and has a difficult roster ahead of it, including Virginia Tech, Pitt, Citadel and South Carolina. “We are no longer in control of our destiny, that’s the frustrating part,” Swinney said. “But the only thing we can control is how we react. That's what we control. We just have to find a way to win the next game.”

This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Dabo Swinney takes responsibility because Clemson 'didn't deserve to win against Louisville'