Unlike his brother Terry, who guided probation-saddled Auburn to a perfect 11-0 record in his first season there, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden left himself room to improve after his first season.

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Yet he still managed to appease rabid Tiger fans. Picked to finish sixth or worse by nearly every preseason ACC poll, the Tigers rebounded from last season's dismal campaign (3-8, 1-7 ACC) to finish 6-5 and tied for second with a 5-3 league mark.

The 6-5 mark is the worst in Bowden's three-year run as a head coach, but enough to satisfy Clemson fans, who turned out in record numbers to watch the Tigers' wide-open offense at Death Valley.

Despite Bowden's preseason pleas for patience, and plenty of poor-mouthing, Clemson earned a Peach Bowl berth. The Tigers will face Mississippi State (9-2).

Just imagine what kind of year the Tigers might have enjoyed had starting quarterback Brandon Streeter not suffered a pair of injuries that cost him nearly half the season.

Or, if Clemson had not suffered the fate of playing college football's three unbeaten teams.

Or, managed one more touchdown in four losses that were decided by four points or less. Or, had an offensive line that wasn't the size of most Division III units.

Or, had a punter, kicker or return specialist that was a threat to change a game -- for the positive.

Just imagine. Clemson fans are already.

With grit, hard work, plenty of scheming and risk-taking, the Tigers' tenacity paid off on both sides of the ball. Clemson finished third in the ACC in total offense and total defense, first in turnover margin and sacks and led the league in attendance to boot.

Along the way they scared unbeatens Marshall (13-10 loss) and Florida State (17-14 loss), and played Virginia Tech close into the final minutes of a 31-11 setback.

No wonder Clemson athletic director Bobby Robinson can't get to the table quick enough to talk with his hand-picked coach about a new contract extension.

The scary thing is the best football is still ahead for the Tigers, who return virtually every key performer next season. And the Tigers aren't through yet.

Clemson finished the season with a flurry, winning three of its final four games. It's only loss in that stretch was a 45-42 shootout with Georgia Tech.

Whichever team gets the honor of tangling with the Tigers at the Georgia Dome will also have to contend with the return of Streeter, the season-opening starter who missed all or most of six games with various injuries. He was ably replaced by Woody Dantzler, who finished fourth in the league in passing, yet made only four starts. And there's a chance Dantzler -- a gifted runner -- might not even be the starter next season.

Having exceeded expectations in their first season under Bowden, there's only one safe assumption to make about the Tigers' future. It will be much harder to exceed the expectations of next season and the seasons beyond.

The Personnel File

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: It's difficult to pinpoint one player who stood above all the others as the Tigers embraced first-year coach Tommy Bowden's wide-open offense and ran (err, passed) with it. But the Tigers most certainly wouldn't have been bowl-bound had Dantzler, the sophomore quarterback, not stepped up not once, but twice, to replace injured starter Brandon Streeter. Dantzler finished fourth in the ACC in passing efficiency (131.68) and eighth in rushing (580 yards).

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sophomore linebacker Keith Adams stepped from out of nowhere to lead the Tigers on defense. The undersized, whirling dervish emerged as one of the league's most dominant defender from his inside linebacker position, averaging better than 16 tackles a game with 33 tackles for loss and 16 sacks, leading the ACC in all three categories.

COACH UPDATE: Tommy Bowden (6-5 in one season at Clemson; 24-9 overall). One year after the Tigers went 1-7 in ACC play, Bowden guided the Tigers to a tie for second place with a 5-3 league mark. Not bad for a team that was picked to finish sixth. Athletic director Bobby Robinson certainly agreed. He's ready to sit down with Bowden to talk about a contract extension.

STRENGTHS: The Tigers made tremendous strides offensively, thanks to talented receiving corps led by Rod Gardner, Brian Wofford and Mal Lawyer. Dantzler's dual-threat and tailback Travis Zachery's late-season emergence helped balance the slate. The return of Streeter makes them even more dangerous. An attack-style defense, headed by Adams and safety Robert Carswell, proved to be effective: the Tigers led the league in sacks (45) and turnover margin.

CONCERNS: Dantzler has some limitations as a passer and still struggles with his decision-making. And undersized offensive line has yet to prove it can blow people off the ball. But the Tigers biggest deficiency comes on special teams, where they are borderline awful in virtually every category -- kicking, punting and returns.

Noteworthy

TOUGH SCHEDULE, GOOD BAROMETER: No one can argue with Clemson's strength of schedule. Three of the Tigers' five losses came against the nation's only unbeaten teams -- Florida State, Virginia Tech and Marshall. That said, four of the five losses were by four points or less.

NO PASSING FANCY: Despite starting two quarterbacks -- Streeter and Dantzler -- the Tigers amassed a school-record 2,713 passing yards. The biggest beneficiary of Bowden's wide-open attack was junior receiver Rod Gardner, who collected a school-record 73 receptions and became the first Tiger to amass 1,000 yards. Gardner came into the season with 28 catches with 364 yards.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: A year ago the Tigers finished 103rd in the nation in turnover margin, coughing up the ball 29 times while only collected 18 opponents miscues. This season, Clemson finished tied for 11th nationally, forcing 26 turnovers while committing just 17.