Greensboro — The last time Clemson won an ACC football championship (1991), quarterback Cullen Harper was 6 years old.

"I've heard it a lot," said the rising senior from Alpharetta (Sequoyah High School) on the first day of the 2008 ACC Football Kickoff at Reynolds Plantation. "I heard it last year. I heard it the year before. And now is the year when we have to quit talking about it and just do it. It's time for Clemson to step up and win a championship."

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Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper, rising senior from Alpharetta, says 'now is the year when we have to quit talking about it and just do it. It's time for Clemson to step up and win a championship.'

For a long time — too long for Tiger fans — Clemson has been one of those teams that was just good enough to break your heart.

In 2006, the Tigers started 7-1, were ranked as high as No. 10, and looked unbeatable after destroying Georgia Tech, the eventual Coastal Division champions, 31-7 at Death Valley. But then Clemson lost four of its last five to finish 8-5.

Last season, Clemson needed a win over Boston College at home to advance to the ACC championship game. But Matt Ryan rallied the Eagles for 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a 43-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 left, to deny Clemson a trip to Jacksonville.

But if there has been a constant refrain coming out of the Palmetto State this summer, it is this: "If Clemson and Tommy Bowden don't win it this year, they ain't never gonna win it."

Harper does not disagree.

"I think you have to take that statement seriously because we have everything we need to win a championship," Harper said. "We have the players. We have the coaches. We have the support. We don't have to change anything. We just have to go out and make the plays to win."

Clemson's players know what is riding on this season and how important it is for the school. They know because they have it heard from former players. Levon Kirkland was an All-America linebacker on Clemson's 1991 ACC championship team. He stays in pretty close contact with senior Michael Hamlin, who is about to start his fourth season in the Tiger secondary.

"Every time I talk to Levon, he kind of kids me and tells me this is the year and we've got to be the team that finally wins the championship," Hamlin said. "Then I realize that he's not kidding. He believes that we have everything we need to win. A lot of people believe it. But the most important thing is that we believe it. And we do."

Harper said that he and the rest of the Clemson players have decided that the best way to deal with high expectations is to meet them head on. They are not going away, Harper said, so you might as well embrace them.

"I think it [high expectation] is good exposure for Clemson. I think it is a positive," Harper said. "When I came to Clemson, it was with the intent of playing in the ACC championship game. This is the last chance for all of the seniors on this team. But it is up to us to make it happen. Nobody is going to give it to us."

Harper, whose dad Jeff was an offensive lineman on Georgia's national championship team in 1980, comes into this season with high expectations as well. As a first-year starter in 2007, he set 21 school records. He was the ACC's most efficient passer, throwing for 27 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He has been mentioned on some Heisman Trophy lists and will get a lot of votes for the preseason ACC player of the year.

Not bad for a guy who many thought would eventually lose his job last season to Willy Korn, the highly recruited quarterback out of Lyman, S.C.

"Last year, a lot of people wrote me off and didn't think I would last three games," Harper said. "That's why last year was so special. I've always had confidence in my ability but until you get out there, you're not sure how you're going to play. Now, I know I can play at this level."