Clemson's Orange Bowl performance proves it's nation's most-balanced team

Following Clemson's dominant win over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, head coach Dabo Swinney made a curious remark.

"Nobody believes in this team," Swinney said.

Even though they were 4.5-point underdogs, that had many chuckling on social media, considering the Tigers are the only undefeated team in the country and have been ranked No. 1 since early November. As extreme as Swinney's message may have been, though, it wasn't exactly wrong.

Saying nobody believes in Clemson isn't accurate, but they weren't getting enough credit, that's for sure. The Tigers haven't had a letdown all year and proved once and for all Thursday that they are without weakness.

The Sooners came into the contest averaging 52 points in their last seven games, and Clemson's defense completely shut them down. The Tigers held Baker Mayfield and company to a measly 17 points, which was only the second time they failed to hit 20 in 2015. Keep in mind, Swinney's crew was also without their best defender Shaq Lawson, who was lost to a knee injury early in the game.

Clemson won the battle on the ground, limiting the Sooners and their 15th-ranked rushing attack to only 67 yards and two yards per carry. For all the attention that Alabama's and Michigan State's defense gets, the Tigers quietly finished seventh in the nation.

Perhaps the reason Clemson's defense gets overlooked is because it had a quarterback that finished third in Heisman voting who received plenty of attention. Even still, the Tigers' offense was far more than just Deshaun Watson.

Wayne Gallman didn't have the numbers of a Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey, but he was just as important to Clemson. The powerful back ran for more than 1,300 yards this season and added another whopping 150 when it mattered most in the Orange Bowl, often dragging Sooner defenders with him along the way. Add in Watson, probably the best dual-threat quarterback in college football, and the Tigers become nearly impossible to defend.

Much of that credit has to go to Clemson's rebuilt offensive line. The Tigers returned just one starter from last year's unit, but they have been the catalyst for the offense. When the Tigers were trying to run out the clock Thursday night, they ran the ball 17 times in a span of 18 plays during the second half. You simply can't do that without complete faith in the guys upfront.

The reason Swinney is probably continuing to beat the drum that nobody believes in the Tigers, is to keep them sharp. To not let being unbeaten go to their heads or the weight of expectations become too much to bear.

Even though Swinney and company may want us to think nobody believes in them still, after that Orange Bowl performance, we know better.