Based on what Clemson's Tommy Bowden had to say Tuesday, it sounds as if my vote for ACC football coach of the year will go to a guy about to lose his job.

At his weekly news conference, Bowden became emotional when asked about his job status, referring questions to athletics director Terry Don Phillips, who happened to be home sick and unavailable for comment.

Phillips ought to consider this: In Bowden's fifth season, the Tigers are 7-4 overall and a third-place 5-3 in the ACC heading into their regular-season finale at South Carolina -- not bad for an outfit picked to finish fifth in the conference.

Bowden is 36-24 in five years and has never finished below .500 overall or in conference play. After back-to-back victories, one of them against then third-ranked Florida State, it's inconceivable to me that Clemson's fans and administration might be unimpressed.

The best ACC coaching job of the season comes down to a choice between Bowden and Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey.

There's a legitimate case to be made for Gailey. With games remaining at Virginia and against Georgia in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3) have a chance to finish with eight wins, which would be a remarkable accomplishment for team picked eighth among nine ACC teams.

But even if the Jackets get to 8-4, Bowden has done more. Twice this season, he has brought his team back from apparent knockout blows.

The first Houdini act came after Georgia routed the Tigers 30-0 in the season's first game, exactly what Bowden didn't need after the 2002 season had ended with a 55-15 loss to Texas Tech in the Tangerine Bowl.

One game into this season, he appeared to have lost control of his team for good, and the posse to track down and eliminate him was being formed.

The Tigers then won three straight, including a 39-3 rout at Georgia Tech in week four.

The second crisis hit Nov. 1 -- a 45-17 loss at Wake Forest. By the time the team got back to Clemson that night, Bowden's departure was viewed as all but inevitable. There was speculation that he wouldn't even be allowed to coach the remaining games against Florida State, Duke and South Carolina.

Exactly how close Bowden came to be being fired that week isn't known. Phillips never really waded into the debate, but his silence said plenty. Phillips didn't hire Bowden but obviously was beginning to feel some of the same heat.

To Bowden's credit, he didn't fold. The 26-10 win over Florida State -- one of Clemson's most impressive showings ever -- came under tremendous pressure in front of a huge home crowd that had rarely been more apprehensive about the status of its cherished program.

A loss probably would have been too much for Bowden to weather. He quickly would have gone the way of Ken Hatfield and Tommy West, former Clemson coaches who had winning records but not enough wins to remain popular with fans.

But Bowden's dependability can no longer be questioned. Granted, his five-year record is inferior to that of Hatfield in four seasons (32-13-1) and of Danny Ford in 11 years (96-29-4).

Those were different times, however. Winning big at Clemson is more difficult now and will get even tougher when Miami and Virginia Tech enter the ACC next season. Clemson, like the vast majority of ACC teams, may never consistently contend for the league or national title again.

In the new ACC, a winning league record will have to be deemed reasonably successful.

That much Bowden should be able to deliver. The longer he can keep a productive coaching staff in place, the better the program's chances of breaking through to the top.

Clemson is a difficult place to coach. The expectations can be unrealistically high and patience short.

But to fire Bowden now would be a mistake. Just think of the message such a decision would send. Hatfield was forced out after going 9-3 in 1993. Even with a loss this week, Bowden would be 7-5. Those records are firing offenses?

Come on, Clemson, get real for once. Fire bad coaches, not those who are winning.

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