CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- No. 1 Clemson punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff with a 45-37 win over No. 10 North Carolina in the ACC championship game on Saturday night, overcoming a sloppy first half to take control behind -- guess who? -- Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson, who made perhaps his most emphatic case yet to win the coveted award. Watson had 420 yards of total offense (again) and scored five touchdowns, as the Tar Heels were helpless to stop him.

But it didn't come without some controversy at the end. After North Carolina closed to within a score, it attempted an onside kick and recovered. But officials ruled the Tar Heels offside. Replay did not appear to show anybody misaligned. North Carolina kicked again, and Clemson recovered.

Clemson still has to wait for the official announcement from the playoff selection committee on Sunday. But given its 13-0 record and ACC championship, it is probably safe to assume the Tigers will be the No. 1 overall seed going into the postseason.

Deshaun Watson and undefeated Clemson proved to be No. 1 in the ACC with Saturday's win over No. 10 North Carolina. Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports

What the win means for Clemson: Where do we start? Clemson moved to 13-0 for the first time in school history and won its first ACC championship since 2011. Not only that, the league that was widely picked to miss the playoff at the start of the season has now had a representative in the first two years of the playoff. Not bad for Clemson and a conference that have been widely misperceived over the past several years. It was ugly in the first half, between a botched fake punt that sent coach Dabo Swinney unglued and multiple personal foul penalties and an offense that was out of sync. But what Clemson has always had is hope with Watson leading the way. And he was an unstoppable force, teaming with Wayne Gallman to shred the North Carolina run defense. Much like the game against Florida State, Clemson came out in the second half like a team possessed. Both Watson and Gallman went over 100 yards rushing. The Clemson defense, meanwhile, shut down Marquise Williams and the high-powered Tar Heels offense, limiting the big plays and putting massive amounts of pressure on the quarterback. As a result, Clemson is now two wins away from winning the second national championship in school history.

What the loss means for North Carolina: After holding out hope for a playoff spot with an upset win over Clemson, North Carolina will most likely settle for a spot in the Russell Athletic Bowl, if Florida State and Notre Dame are chosen for New Year’s Six games. But that should not diminish what the Tar Heels accomplished this season. They ran off a school-record 11 straight wins before losing on Saturday night. They won the Coastal Division for the first time and made the ACC championship game for the first time. But some weaknesses that were seen earlier in the season were exposed again on defense. A group that had given up chunks of rushing yards was gashed on the ground repeatedly, as Clemson ran for over 300 yards. It was the second week in a row the Tar Heels gave up that many yards rushing. And against the best defense they have played, Williams struggled to deliver the ball. Running back Elijah Hood was a nonfactor, and so were UNC's other talented skill players. The Tar Heels ended up with a season low in total offense, failing to tally 400 yards for the first time. But they never gave up, scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to stay in the game until the controversial call on the onside kick.

Player of the game: Watson. What more can you say about Watson? He has been outstanding over the past five games, when his team needed him the most, averaging over 400 yards of total offense. He had 411 yards against the Tar Heels, including a career-high 131 yards rushing. And the sophomore remained unbeaten in his career when he starts and finishes a game.

Unsung hero: Gallman. After Watson, Gallman was the second-best player on offense for the Tigers, racking up 185 yards -- the second-highest total in ACC championship game history. He also was the first player to have both a rushing and receiving touchdown in an ACC title game.

The game turned when: Williams vowed all week he would do better in Charlotte this time, after a three-interception performance in a loss to South Carolina to open the season. But on the first drive of the third quarter, Williams found himself back in a nightmare. He threw another red zone interception, this one to Cordrea Tankersley. Clemson then marched 97 yards on an emphatic and dominant scoring drive, the type it failed to deliver in the first half. But there was more. After North Carolina botched a fake punt, Clemson scored two plays later on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Artavis Scott, building a two-touchdown lead that proved to be impossible for the Tar Heels to overcome.