Remember the “3 a.m.” commercial Hillary Clinton ran? It was the one in which a somber spokesperson asked viewers who they wanted to answer the call when a big decision had to be made by someone equipped to make a big decision.

Tommy Bowden remembered.

And after seeing his team de-cleated in front of millions of television viewers — leaving behind a trail of jockstraps and one player who missed the bus after the entire Clemson team was run over by a bus with Alabama tags — Bowden knew who to call.

Nick Saban. And Bobby Bowden. And Frank Beamer. And Mark Richt.

Although not publicized, I’m guessing he also contacted the Psychic Friends Hotline, where the operator (I think her name is Taffy) promised to channel Vince Lombardi for the low price of $2 for the first minute and $19.99 for each additional minute.

Steve Spurrier probably got a call, too, but that was before the Vandy game.

It’s not so much that Bowden made the calls. If I’d just been sissy-slapped by a team some expected to be SEC pretenders and not SEC contenders, I’d be looking for answers, too.

But was it wise to let the world know about it?

Getting pummeled 34-10 was embarrassing enough. But after Clemson’s coach admitted to dialing the digits of both his conqueror and three other peers, the Tigers went from wilting in the national spotlight to becoming a national punch line.

Thank goodness John Stewart, Keith Olbermann, David Letterman and Jay Leno are too busy talking politics or they’d be getting snickers at Clemson’s expense, too.

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with seeking help, whether you call Alcoholics Anonymous if you have a drinking problem or — if you have an addiction to cheese — Cheeseaholics Anonymous.

But you do it discreetly. Only your family and counselors should know about the issues you have with booze and cheddar.

Now the perception is that Bowden doesn’t know what he’s doing, that all those months of preparation went for naught because Bowden had absolutely no clue how to prepare the Tigers.

To Bowden’s credit he’s taking the slings and arrows in stride. Not that there’s much else he could do. It’s out there now and people will likely still be joking about it long after the Tigers defeat The Citadel.

With North Carolina State, South Carolina State and Maryland next on the schedule, one would think Bowden can keep the cell phone connected to the charger while he gets down to the business of chalking up a few wins.

But if a Thursday, Oct. 9 matchup against Wake Forest has a similar result to the beatdown in Atlanta, he might just be prompted to make another 3 a.m. call.

No shame in that. Just don’t tell anybody about it this time.

Taffy promises to keep things confidential.