Setting Goals By ESPN Kids Writer

Every team starts every season with a goal. Some teams have championship aspirations, while others dream of making the playoffs. Some teams might just want to win more games than they lose. Others just want to improve on last season.

No matter what a team's goal is, it's important that all of the players and coaches work hard to help achieve it. The mark of a successful season is if a team develops into a cohesive unit and learns how to work together.

Clemson Tigers: For many years, Clemson had the best football team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But recently, the Tigers have struggled. They haven't won an ACC championship since 1991. This season, however, the Tigers feel they have a very good team. During the preseason, the coaches and players decided that their goal would be to win the conference title.

Battling Adversity: The season didn't get off to a very good start for Clemson. The Tigers lost three out of their first five games, including games against ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Boston College. At 2-3, it looked like they wouldn't be able to achieve their goal.

Turning It On: After five games though, something changed. The Clemson players seemed to get a little bit faster. They looked stronger. The entire team was on the same page. They were working harder as a team. First they beat Wake Forest. Then they scored a major overtime victory against powerful Miami. Coastal Carolina was next, followed by Florida State and North Carolina State. The Tigers peeled off five wins in a row, putting themselves back in a position to achieve their goal of an ACC championship.

What's Next: This weekend, Clemson will host the University of Virginia. If the Tigers win, they will earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game next month. They are now just a couple of games away from achieving the goal they set months ago in the preseason. Even a slow start couldn't de-rail the Tigers. They overcame their early struggles and continue to stay focused on that final prize.

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