Belief is on the Tigers side

As the No. 3 Clemson Tigers prepare to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 28, 8 p.m., ESPN), they have a secret weapon that they have been working on since 2013 — maybe even earlier.

 As the No. 3 Clemson Tigers prepare to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 28, 8 p.m., ESPN), they have a secret weapon that they have been working on since 2013 — maybe even earlier.

It is not a play, a formation or even a particular player.

It is an intangible.

It is something that comes from having been in this position on other occasions and having had success.

It is belief.

“It started with Coach Swinney. It started with Coach Swinney when he was recruiting us, everyone from seniors to freshmen,” Clemson safety Tanner Muse said. “He believed that we are supposed to be on the bigger platform. So, he’s just been pushing that. Pushing that word and that’s where it comes from, Coach Swinney. He believes in it and we believe in it and you see where we are.”

It is that secret weapon that many Tigers feel gives them the upper hand ahead of their semifinal game.

“Once you believe, once everybody believes and once everybody commits to what we’re trying to accomplish it makes it very easy for us to come on platforms like this and perform to a standard that we can win,” Muse said.

That belief came to fruition last year as the Tigers marched to a 15-0 record, and defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide en route to becoming the first 15-0 team in modern college football history.

For the Tigers, the belief has never wavered this season. If anything, it has become stronger as they took each game in stride.

"We took it one game at a time," Muse said. "Our process wasn’t just thinking that we need to get back to the national championship — we need to get back. It was all about taking it one game at a time. Treating it like a one-game season and it worked out for the best for us.”

The Tigers are not naive enough to think that just believing that they belong on college football’s biggest stage is enough.

They understand that as powerful as the belief is, they still have to execute if they want to play another game this season.

“I mean it’s a big key,” offensive lineman John Simpson said. “I mean, we believe that we belong on this stage and there isn’t anyone on the team that is going to be shocked by the stage, but at the same time you have to make plays.

“No one is going to give you an award or a trophy for believing, it is about the scoreboard and who can go out there and execute. But, absolutely, I think that believing in ourselves and our team gives us a feeling and a confidence that other teams may not have.”