Tag Archives: VT

Seven Reasons Clemson Could Play For The 2013 National Championship

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Next season marks the final year of the BCS as we know it. In 2014, the National Championship will be determined by a four-team playoff. I’m not staunchly opposed to the move to a playoff, but it will surely make some of the games (see Orange Bowl potentially getting SEC #3) less special and packed with tradition. That being said, Clemson, whose fans are on top of the world at the moment, has a legitimate shot to play in the final National Championship that to be decided purely by the BCS standings. Here are seven reasons why that’s the case.

1.  Pre-Season Ranking: Clemson should begin next season well within the top 10. That could be key given the Tigers are not in the uber-respected SEC.

2.  Senior QB: After a weak draft projection and the return of Chad Morris, it appears highly likely that Tajh Boyd, the ACC Player of the Year, will return for his senior season. So, we’re looking at Clemson coming into the season as the highest ranked team in the ACC with the best player in the conference, not too shabby.

3.  Offensive Identity: After a 6-7 2010 season, Dabo Swinney made the bold move to bring in a largely untested offensive coordinator from Tulsa. He has completely changed the identity of Clemson’s Program. They’ve gone from a decent program that can’t win the big game to a fast-paced offense that wears out their opponents with great skill players. In an article from my favorite Clemson writer, Greg Wallace, Dabo Swinney says:

“It’s a Clemson offense, not a Chad Morris offense,” Swinney told reporters. “When we hired Chad, this is what we wanted to do philosophically. Our first year in 2009, we had dynamic guys like C.J. Spiller and Michael Palmer, Jacoby Ford, it’s well-documented what those guys did. We knew what we wanted to go to, it was just a matter of having the right personnel. It was a matter of who I thought was the best fit for our personnel. We settled on Chad and he’s done a tremendous job.

4.  Balanced Schedule: Clemson’s 2013 schedule is picture perfect. It holds no trip to Tallahassee, like 2012, and no trip to Athens, like 2014. The Tigers swap VT with Syracuse and take a trip to Charlottesville. In a weird scheduling quirk ACC rival, Georgia Tech, will play in Clemson in Death Valley for a consecutive year (GT asked for the change so they would never have a season without a home game against either Clemson or UGA). There is a tremendous talent gap after the Yellow Jackets have been saddled with Paul Johnson’s “unprofessional environment”  and weak recruiting for four years. FSU, Clemson’s chief conference rival (see what I did there with “chief”?), will be severely depleted after losing stars at QB, RB, DE, and CB to the NFL draft. Additionally, a schedule that boasts UGA, FSU, NCSU, GT, and South Carolina should be tough enough to earn national respect. Eventually Clemson has to beat the chickens from the dumpy part of the state, right?

5.  Matured Offensive Line: If you read my season preview, my biggest concern was the offensive line. They exceeded my expectations in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Auburn and only got better as the season progressed. In the finale against LSU, Gifford Timothy went down to injury. Clemson responded to adversity with a second half rally and game-winning drive. They’ll return four offensive lineman!

6.  Wide Receivers: Clemson has one of the best receiving corps in the country. DeAndre Hopkins has been named to the 2013 Heisman Watch List, but even he leaves the Tigers will return: Sammy Watkins, Adam Humphries, Charone Peake, and Martavius Bryant. Jaron Brown, who had an epic block against LSU will graduate, but even if the Tigers lose both Hopkins and Brown, I’ll still be exceedingly confident in this group of players.

7.  Brent Venables:  The Tigers have been churning through defensive coordinators the last few years. Vic Koenning was let go due to philosophical differences with Dabo Swinney. Kevin Steele came in and the defense worsened. Steele was dismissed, and Brent Venables joined the staff with much to improve upon from the 2011 Orange Bowl fiasco. The defense got exposed against FSU, but continued to improve and came through against LSU. I expect further improvement from the defense in Venables second year.

I have my concerns though. Firstly, Andre Ellington’s graduation leaves a hole at RB, but “Hot Rod” McDowell, DJ Howard, and Zac Brooks are more than capable replacements for the speedy back (who fumbled in the last two Clemson bowl games). Secondly, Clemson’s recruiting over the past four seasons has been strong, but not on par with the Alabamas and Floridas of the world. While the Tigers will be extremely talented next year, they certainly won’t be the most talented team vying for the title. Thirdly, Tajh Boyd could stun me and decide to leave early for the NFL. His soft draft projection, down in 6th/7th round territory, coupled with the return of Offensive Coordinator, Chad Morris, seem to make it unlikely, but I suppose it is possible. Finally, Clemson will end the season with the tough task of winning at Williams Brice Stadium. Nobody beat the Cocks at home this year (they lost at LSU and at UF). I can’t fathom another loss to them though, so I’m going to mark it down as a win for now and continue to enjoy Clemson’s victory at the hands of the “other” Tigers who play in the “other” Death Valley.

Now, most experts will likely pick the winner of the SEC to match up with a program like Oklahoma or Notre Dame in the next National Championship, but I believe Clemson has a great opportunity to continue to best program records and find themselves in their first BCS National Championship Game. The seven reasons outlined above along with the winning culture that is being instilled under Swinney’s tenure present a tremendous opportunity for Clemson in 2013. This year’s team was just the fourth 11-win Clemson team in program history. I expect even more victories next season. Start planning your trip to Pasadena!

Go Tigers!

Feel free to tell me why I’m crazy in the comments section below.

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The ACC Figured It Out Just In Time: Time To Plunder The Big East Again

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

It’s always a good day to plunder the Big East

The slow and gradual collapse of the Big East, which was caused in no small part by the misguided basketball-only schools who never realized that football must come first, leaves plenty for the plunder.

20 years ago, not realizing how much more important football would be than basketball, and lacking the vision to see that television-contract dollars (centered around football) would form the roots of conference stability, the Big East rejected Penn State. The conference has been bleeding ever since, losing Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College, and then more recently West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Louisville. Former Big East, now ACC member Boston College, nets over four-times the money from football that they do from basketball. Georgetown and the like could never understand. Conversely, the ACC seemed to learn this lesson just in the nick of time.

When the recent conference shuffle started, West Virginia seemed likely to leave the Big East. The ACC was the logical landing-place for WVU–technically not on the Atlantic coast, but more geographically in sync than Louisville or Notre Dame. Schools like Duke balked at the idea of adding the 165th ranked National University (academics), and the Mountaineers were turned away, only to find more more lucrative pastures in the Big 12. The ACC would then add two football weenies–Syracuse and Pittsburgh–neither in the top 8 of my football program “Decade Ahead” rankings.

When West Virginia was rejected for academic reasons, I was proud, proud that the ACC stood for something beyond money, while the dirty SEC fought down in the mud and the muck… Then money started speaking louder.

After all the hoopla, conference realignment seemed complete, and with the ACC’s two new additions plus the special agreement and partial addition of Notre Dame, all seemed honky dory. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the cash-strapped athletic department of Maryland left the ACC to join the Big 10. Rutgers would join them shortly thereafter. Suddenly it became clear, that the ACC’s skimpy television contract had made them vulnerable.

The money difference for Maryland was so huge that it was worth leaving for them, despite the $50+ million exit fee, decades of history and tradition, the strain the additional travel will put on their student athletes, and the inconvenience it puts on fans. That’s when the principle of requiring members to be top-notch academic institutions such as Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, etc., went out the window.

Immediately, the ACC went to work to replace Maryland. After some talk about Navy and Cincinnati, the two realistic options were UConn and Louisville. Louisville, who has the most valuable basketball program in the country, a more developed football program, and superior facilities than UConn seemed the smart choice, as I outlined here. Amazingly, Wake Forest (bless their hearts), Duke, UNC, and Virginia supported UConn. Now I have nothing against UConn, but how could you pick them over Louisville? With the conference in serious trouble, these schools were still clinging to outdated principles. Fortunately, the other Universities chose Louisville, the 160th academically ranked National University, but the best addition to the conference… And that’s the story of how the Tar Heels were dethroned from the ACC, and the conference was saved.

With the ACC saved, and the Big East weaker than ever (rumors are they may resort to inviting A-10 schools) the Atlantic Coast Conference still has more to plunder. The ACC now has 15 teams that will be relying on their bowl lineup (that includes Notre Dame in years they are bowl eligible and not in the Orange Bowl), and just eight guaranteed bowl tie-ins. This year, with UNC and Miami not participating in bowl games, that was not a problem at all, but with Louisville replacing Maryland, and three additional teams relying on the bowl lineup, the ACC needs to grow and improve their bowl lineup. Specifically, they need to find their way into the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

The Pinstripe Bowl currently pairs the Big East against the Big 12. Contracts with both conferences expire after 2013. With the Big East losing so many of their top programs and the Big 12 never really making sense given the geographic stretch, the Pinstripe Bowl may be looking to new conferences to keep their fair bowl alive. The three football programs that presumably would get the biggest draw in New York City are Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Rutgers. Two of them are now in the ACC bowl lineup, and all were previously affiliated with the Big East’s. Furthermore, either Syracuse or Rutgers has been in each of the three Pinstripe Bowl.

The $2,000,000 payout already associated with the Pinstripe Bowl would place it between the Russell Athletic Bowl and the Sun Bowl as a top four bowl destination in the current ACC bowl lineup. Beyond the money appealing to the ACC and the appropriate ACC teams appealing to the bowl, they need to come to terms with the conference that the ACC is awkwardly not paired with in any bowl games, the Big 10.

I’ve always found it strange that the ACC hardly ever battle with the Big 10, while the media always pairs the two as the conferences worthy to discuss only after the SEC and Big 12. The conferences already square off in the ACC/Big 10 challenge during basketball season, and after the Maryland fiasco, there is a bit of bad blood. The Big 10 makes loads more sense than the Big 12 does for the Pinstripe Bowl now that they can offer Rutgers and Maryland, both great fits for a New York City bowl.  There are plenty of enjoyable matchups that could be established among the variations of: Notre Dame/ Syracuse/ Pittsburgh/ Boston College/ Virginia/ Virginia Tech v. Rutgers/ Penn St/ Maryland/Michigan/Michigan St. Not to mention that I’d love to get a crack at Penn St or Michigan, and it would “feel good” to have ACC teams occasionally play Maryland, an ACC charter member. If the weather was tolerable, I’d surely make the trip to New York City to see Clemson play in the New Yankee Stadium. Although the bowl is currently a lower tier game that what Clemson fans are accustomed to, it was just two years ago that I attended the Meineke Car Care Bowl where we lost to USF. Plus, it’s the venue makes it seem so special anyway.

There are other bowls in warmer weather locations on my wish lists as well. I’d like to see commissioner Swofford make a play to bring the Gator Bowl ($2.5 mil payout) back. Part of the reason they abandoned their affiliation with the Big East was due to restrictions on how often they could select Notre Dame. Such restrictions don’t apply in the ACC’s agreement and matchups like Northwestern v. Mississippi State aren’t impressing anyone. Additionally, I’d like to see the ACC drop affiliations with the Advocare Independence Bowl ($1.1 mil payout) and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (>$1 mil payout) and take the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl ($1 mil payout)  in sunny St. Petersburg as a low-tier replacement. Yes, let’s replace Shreveport and San Francisco with Jacksonville, St. Pete, and New York City. Go plunder Mr. Swofford, it’s always been your thing.

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Ranking The ACC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

As a follow-up to my previous post arguing for the need to realign the ACC divisions, we will now look at which of those programs appear poised for the most success over the next five to 10 years. From one to 14, here’s how I see the ACC programs stacking up. I attempted to remove my orange tinted glasses, and write fairly objectively.

1. Florida State University - The Seminoles and their “Bacon Man” mascot began dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference immediately upon joining, winning the conference in 11 of their first 12 seasons. They then faded back to the pack with Virginia Tech winning three conference championships in between FSU’s two most recent ACC titles (eight years apart). Despite the disappearing dominance, The Seminoles have brought in the top ranked recruiting class in the ACC each year since 2009 (Rivals). That’s a pretty outstanding job and will keep them extremely competitive.

Although Defensive Coordinator, Mark Stoops, heads to Kentucky where he will become a head coach, FSU will remain the most talented team in the ACC more years than not. Stoops was only at FSU for three years and I expect the Noles to take the loss in stride. Players were reportedly very happy and proud of their coach, and not at all bitter or hurt.

I do not expect the Seminoles to be very special in 2013 after losing so many key parts (25 seniors including the starting QB, plus multiple coaches), but over the next decade there is no reason they shouldn’t be a very strong program and towards the top of the ACC almost every year.

FSU Bacon

The proud bacon men of Florida State should compete with Clemson each year for the Atlantic Division title.

2. Clemson University - A strong case could be made for the Clemson Tigers belonging atop the ACC “Decade Ahead” rankings, however Clemson is still in the process of establishing a consistent winning program. Just two years ago they finished 6-7 with a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to South Florida. Since then, Tajh Boyd has taken over at QB and Chad Morris at offensive coordinator. Nobody misses the classic “Parker scrambles right, throws across his body, intercepted by the linebacker” play that was the trademark of the 2010 season.

Clemson is without a doubt a program on the rise. Dabo Swinney, unlike his predecessor, has not been afraid to let poorly performing coaches go (see Rob Spence, Billy Napier, Vic Koenning, and Kevin Steele) and created an environment of accountability. In addition, he has given up part of his own salary to better compensate assistant coaches. As a result, Clemson has one of the best (and best compensated) coaching staffs in the country.

Dabo has traveled an unpaved road to reach his current level of success (insert moving, emotional article here), and I suspect his level of loyalty and success will keep him in Clemson for the next decade (assuming he can occasionally beat Columbia). Issues for long-term consistency crop up when looking at the assistant coaches. Although Dabo has done everything possible to make sure they are well compensated, one (Charlie Harbinson) has already bolted to join Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn. Chad Morris interviewed for the head coaching openings at NC State and Auburn, was rumored to have a shot at the USF job, and now is a prime candidate for the open position at Texas Tech–where DC Brent Venables has also been discussed as a target.

As long as the staff at Clemson can stick together, I believe the ACC’s two best teams are Clemson and Florida State. They could trade ACC Championships for years to come (Clemson winning in odd-numbered years and FSU taking the even-numbered years). In fact, if both coordinators, Tajh, and Hopkins stay on board, I believe the 2013 season will end with an ACC Championship for the Tigers. Beating UGA and South Carolina will be tough, but FSU should be down and the Noles will have to travel to Death Valley, a place they never win. Now that Clemson has learned to avoid losses to bad teams, I expect them to have an undefeated 2013 ACC season…given they keep the staff intact and juniors don’t leave early.

Clemson’s program is as strong as it’s been in years as they transition in their new Athletic Director, Dan Radakovich. Dabo has poured his heart and soul into the program, and as a result, we’ve seen great progress. The strategy of having a CEO at head coach and using well paid, superstar assistants is thoughtful, but problems with continuity could stunt growth if major waves of change hit every time an assistant takes a head coaching position. That said, it won’t be another 20 years before Clemson wins another ACC title.

3. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – The Turkey was cooked before Thanksgiving this year, wasn’t it? It’s been a long time since the Hokies have looked so bad, but it’s hard to believe it will last. At the moment (12/10/2012) their 2013 recruiting class is ranked second in the ACC.

Given their placement in the much weaker Coastal Division, where they compete primarily against Miami and Georgia Tech, it’s hard envision a Frank Beamer program not playing for the ACC Crown in Charlotte more often than not. It appears that there won’t be major changes on the coaching staff, and continuity, will reign supreme in Blacksburg, as it has for a very long time. With the division alignment the way it is, VT may find more than their fair share of success.

4. The University of Louisville – The Cardinals will join the ACC in 2014 and assume the Terrapin’s spot in the ACC Atlantic. They will be immediately disadvantaged by being placed in the more competitive division, but they have become serious about football and have an ever strengthening program. That seriousness was tested when The University of Tennessee made a play for Charlie Strong, their top-notch football coach. Many felt that Louisville, still being a “second-rate” job, would lose their head coach. To the contrary, Charlie Strong, already making $2.3 million (yes, that’s more than Dabo Swinney, and about what he would make if he didn’t defer money to his assistants) will likely get rewarded with an even sweeter 8-year contract from Louisville AD Tom Jurich.

Louisville already has one of the biggest budgets in the ACC with the most valuable basketball program in the nation according to Forbes (their average attendance is more than double the capacity of beautiful Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson). They completed renovations of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium before the 2010 season and it appears to be quite the venue. They certainly have the resources to compete. In Strong’s tenure, they have shown the ability to recruit, not at the level of FSU or Clemson, but as good as the next tier of ACC programs. Moving to a stronger conference should only help that cause.

5. North Carolina State University – The Wolfpack have an AD in Deborah Yow that believes they can be more than an 7-5 football team, and in refusing to accept mediocrity, she terminated Tom O’Brien. Not all seemingly strong hires work out (see Randy Edsall for evidence), but Dave Doeren, the former Northern Illinois Head Coach, does appear to be a solid hire. They’ll be tasked with facing FSU, Clemson, and Louisville every season. I don’t believe they can be a consistent 10-win team, but it’s not unfathomable for them to hit that mark “once in a blue moon.” It’s challenging to forecast how good they will be in the coming years under control of the new Doeren regime but, Coach O’Brien didn’t leave the cupboard bare.

6. University of Miami – The biggest question about this program is the pending investigation that has led them to voluntarily pass on two straight bowl games and their rightful place in the 2012 ACC Championship game. Recruiting is down this year, but it is due to the lack of room on the young roster. They’ll return most of their talent and should be very competitive next season and for years to come–assuming Al Golden stays aboard and they survive the NCAA investigation. I like Miami to win the Coastal in 2013.

7. Georgia Institute of Technology - 108 years after John Heisman left Clemson for an upgrade to coach at Georgia Tech, Athletic Director Dan Radakovich left Georgia Tech for an upgrade to manage the Clemson athletic department. Georgia Tech has a great football history (Four claimed national championships, 16 conference titles), but is in a bad spot. Paul Johnson’s inability to recruit has caught up with them, and his biggest mark of success, a 2009 ACC championship, was vacated due to impermissible benefits. The Yellow Jackets haven’t cracked the top seven in the ACC recruiting rankings (Rivals) since 2007. Now that Chan Gailey’s recruits are gone the glaring weakness of Paul Johnson and staff is revealed. The triple-option experiment, after a hopeful start, seems to be failing. If Paul Johnson is let go, they’ll have a long road to build a talented team that can compete with their rivals at their own game, modern football, but if they hang on to Paul Johnson they’ll be no more than an 8-win team.

8. Boston College - Paul Johnson’s weakness is Steve Addazio’s strength. Addazio, the former Temple Head Coach and 2010 recruiter of the year will take over at Boston College. He was an offensive coach on Urban Meyer’s Florida staff, which automatically qualifies him to be the leader in Chesnut Hill. He has a lot of ground to make up. They lost to Army this year. They are very, very bad, but they will get a lot better, and in the toughening Atlantic, they better hurry.

9. The University of Pittsburgh – Paul Chryst, former Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator, took over this season and guided the Panthers to a bowl game. His philosophy seems to be a good fit for the type of blue-collar football you’d expect a team in Pittsburgh to play. Pitt actually has an extremely impressive football history. They claim nine National Championships, with their 1915, 1916, and 1918 championship teams coached my Pop Warner. They count the 3rd most NFL Hall of Famers as their alumni. Their most recent National Title though, came in 1976, and by the looks of the crowd at this 2011 game against Syracuse, the passion isn’t what it was. The Panthers average about 50,000 in attendance, which puts them in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Their potential, in many aspects, is limited by their off-campus stadium that they share with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They generate less than $60 million in athletic revenue, putting them above only Wake Forest. Do I believe that with some stability at head coach they can be a solid program that typically ends their season a bowl game? Yes. Do I believe they can reclaim national relevance? No.

10. The University of Virginia - I like Mike London a lot (see here), but I agree with Collin Cowherd is right about the program being soft (this is an absolute must listen, click here). If UVA is capable of rekindling the glimpses of success the saw in the ’88-’98 decade of relevance Mike London will be the one to get them there.

11. Syracuse University - The Orangemen (yes, I am going to call them that. I’m sorry if that offends you) are “New York’s College Team,” at least that’s what their ad in Yankee Stadium says. The only problem is that New York is a pro sports area. In fact, the whole the Northeast is more interested in professional sports which makes me wonder why the ACC continues to expand northward. Louisville is the lone basketball school I have ranked in the top 10, and Syracuse is a basketball school that struggles to fill the Carrier Dome to 40,000 fans. I don’t believe their indoor basketball/football stadium is an attractive place to play (poor recruiting agrees), and I don’t think they have the potential to bring back the glory days of their 1959 National Championship or berth in the 1998 Orange Bowl. My hope is that their inclusion in the ACC will bring the Pinstripe Bowl into the ACC Bowl line-up.

12. The University of North Carolina – The academic scandal at UNC is absolutely despicable and if the NCAA doesn’t come down extremely hard on the Tar Heels it’ll show that they’re not concerned about student athletes actually learning, but rather just insuring they don’t make money. That said, Larry Fedora is a very good coach and if they find their way out of trouble, they will be ok. You can bump them up about five spots if they avoid more probation, but it seems like it could get bad.

13. Duke University – The Blue Devils have a great coach in David Cutcliffe, and he figures to stay in Durham for quite a long time. Further, they have some major renovations to bring Wallace Wade Stadium up to respectability. They have earned a berth in the Belk Bowl, their first Bowl Game since 1994. Duke still can’t recruit, but with Cutcliffe at the helm they are an improving program.

14. Wake Forest University - I love the Deacons, and I love Winston-Salem, but there is no reason to not think Wake Forest is a program on the decline. They are currently 10th in the ACC (current members) in recruiting and they’ve stopped over-performing for their talent level.

They were always (at least in my view) that small Baptist school that was easy to root for, but now they’re not even doing things the right way. Murmurs are that players weren’t “all in” during their last game against Vanderbilt. They don’t make any money on football and are at the bottom of the ACC (current members) in revenue. The Orange Bowl season six years ago was more of an aberration than the norm. It was just their second conference championship in school history. They have a losing record overall at 426–615–33 (.412) and actually have a losing record in 12 years under Jim Grobe. I like Wake Forest a lot, but having a the smallest student population in the BCS, an off-campus stadium, and a culture that is more concerned with basketball are all major factors limiting their ability to put a consistent winner in BB&T Field. I wish them well. Their couple of fans deserve it.

…

Unfortunately, if conference realignment strikes again, God forbid, and college football gets completely shaken up, then this all goes out the window. Four of the top five programs in my rankings are in the Atlantic division, underscoring the need for conference realignment. Given that I didn’t spend hours upon hours pouring over revenue figures and contractual obligations before publishing these rankings (although I did to a small extent), I am open to adjusting these rankings based on your comments. Please leave your comments/complaints below.

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How The ACC Could Realign Divisions To Preserve Tradition

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Now that I got what I wanted with Louisville replacing Maryland in the ACC (a big upgrade), I’ve have more on my ACC Christmas list, the perfect divisional alignment. Shortly after it was announced that Louisville was invited to the conference, Commissioner John Swofford added that the Cardinals would be assigned to the Atlantic Division and would take over Maryland’s schedule, a simplistic approach that misses the point.

This decision was the easy one because it didn’t rile many feathers or require much discussion or compromise, but it fails to take advantage of some big opportunities to improve the conference and leaves the two divisions massively imbalanced. The post-expansion divisions are as follows:

Atlantic

  • Florida State
  • Clemson
  • Louisville
  • NC State
  • Wake Forest
  • Boston College
  • Syracuse

Coastal

  • Virginia Tech
  • Virginia
  • Georgia Tech
  • Miami
  • North Carolina
  • Duke
  • Pittsburgh

If the big problem with those divisions didn’t jump out at you, let me state it clearly–the three best football teams, at least in 2012, are all in the Atlantic Division. Miami, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech should all improve, but at the moment they are clearly a notch below FSU, Clemson, and Louisville. Due to this imbalance, the ACC is likely to offer many ACC Championship Game clunkers much like the Big 12 did with its weak North Division. One could hypothesize this is by design to prevent FSU from playing Clemson or Louisville twice, so as to preserve the possibility of two BCS Bowl bids for the conference, but with the changes to the bowl system, that doesn’t seem very imperative.

Another problem with the setup is the lack of thought placed on road trips. As was the case before expansion, there are only three divisional games that make for reasonable drives for Clemson fans looking to see their team on the road. The situation is further worsened because there is one less game against Coastal Division foes with seven instead of six division games in the soon to be 14 team ACC. That means a game against Duke, UNC, or Virginia–all doable road trips–is replaced with one in the frozen tundra that is Syracuse, NY.

The ACC now has six former Big East schools and seven schools which I would call “classic” ACC teams (six of the seven charter members plus Georgia Tech which joined in 1978). This presents an absolutely HUGE opportunity to embrace tradition and the fans, something no conference has shown any interest in whatsoever. My preferred divisional alignment would bring back traditional ACC and Big East rivalries, allow fans to make more road trips, and do it without sacrificing any major matchups. See below (football cross rivals are in parentheses).

Atlantic / Champions

  • Florida State (Clemson)
  • Louisville (North Carolina)
  • Virginia Tech (Virginia)
  • Miami (Georgia Tech)
  • Boston College (Wake Forest)
  • Pittsburgh (NC State)
  • Syracuse (Duke)

Coastal / Legends

  • Clemson (Florida State)
  • North Carolina (Louisville)
  • Virginia (Virginia Tech)
  • Georgia Tech (Miami)
  • Wake Forest (Boston College)
  • NC State (Pittsburgh)
  • Duke (Syracuse)

This realignment would maintain just about every annual ACC matchup of interest. Florida State would still play Clemson. Virginia Tech and Virginia would still face off. Miami vs. Virginia Tech, Miami vs. Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech vs. Clemson all remain in place! The only worthwhile ACC matchup sacrificed is Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech.

With that obstacle behind us, let’s look at the advantages of this alignment. For simplicity I will refer to them as the Champions and Legends divisions although if in place, I’d prefer to keep the standard names as it seems less gimmicky.

Firstly, it’s extremely fan friendly. A student at any school in the Legends Division could make a reasonable road trip to literally any other divisional opponent with the one possible exception being when the most Northern school, Virginia, plays the most Southern school (Georgia Tech). As a student at Clemson, I made football road trips to Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest among others. All these would be in play, plus North Carolina and NC State. Hordes of orange couldn’t hurt their attendance, and fans would enjoy it.

Likewise in the Champions Division, Virginia Tech would play Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Virginia annually. Both Florida schools get placed in the same division and the two “Yankee” schools (Syracuse and Boston College) get to face off each year. These make for reasonable road trips (6 hours 14 minutes from Blacksburg to Louisville being the longest). The only geographic downside that exists is the inherent unfairness to the Florida schools which would have quite a few long flights, but Miami has to fly to every opponent anyway (with the possible exception of Florida State), and they previously competed against these teams in the Big East and Metro conferences so it should be nothing new.

Just as the important as the geographic convenience and fan friendliness of this alignment is the tradition is rejuvenates. In 1981 Clemson won the National Championship. During that season they played six conference games, one against Maryland. The other five games were against: Virginia, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. Clemson would face all of these teams, plus Georgia Tech, Florida State, and another Champions Division opponent each season. Add that to Georgia or Notre Dame and South Carolina and you have some football tradition right there. Certainly more than West Virginia vs. Texas.

I hesitate to say that there would be tradition among the conference jumpers in the Champions Division, but it’s there too. Florida State, Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech absolutely should be playing every year. With this alignment, those traditional Big East matchups are restarted.

Finally, this alignment creates the possibility of some worthwhile ACC Championship Games, most notably Florida State vs. Clemson, but also any combination of FSU/Miami/Virginia Tech/Louisville vs. Clemson/North Carolina/Georgia Tech.

I understand that Commissioner John Swofford may be scared to make such a bold move because it would call out the obvious ACC/Big East split he has created by inviting seven former Big East schools, but it’s no secret anyway, and it’s no reason to punish fans by erasing traditional matchups and removing nearby road games. I would imagine Virginia Tech would dislike this move because it takes the two tough teams from Clemson’s division and puts them in the same division as Virginia Tech, but that does not come close to overshadowing the strong case for why this divisional realignment would be best for ACC fans and the conference alike.

2014 is right around the corner, and Notre Dame doesn’t begin playing their five annual ACC games until 2015, so a one year delay on divisional realignment would be completely reasonable and understandable, but total inaction is wrong.

I implore ACC fans to share their thoughts on how to form divisions that are better for the conference.

Also, welcome to the ACC Cardinals!

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Clemson Season Review: How Close Were My Pre-Season Predictions

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The college football regular has ended for most conferences, and now is a time to review, reflect, and for those involved rest, and then quickly refocus. At the start of the season both myself and a guest blogger made predictions, one of us was close and the other spot on. We’ll take a look at that, as well the keys this season and moving forward.

For the first time since Clemson’s 1981 championship season, the Tigers won 10 regular season games, yet somehow the season feel empty. Influential Clemson tweeter, @DannyFordIsGod, shared an article calling it an “empty circle” that started in the GA Dome against an SEC team and will end in the GA Dome against an SEC team. Looking at the season schedule, you see that Clemson only played two ranked opponents and lost to them both.

To be fair, I have to give the Tigers a lot of credit for winning the games they are absolutely supposed to win. In my preseason predictions I took the stance that our weak offensive line would lead to inconsistency and we would lose to either Virginia Tech or Wake Forest. Beating GT, VT, and Wake Forest (Thursday Night ESPN Game) all in a row seemed like an impossible task given our struggles against GT and on Thursday nights, and nobody would’ve said those team would be a combined one game under .500 (and will fall to two games under .500 after GT loses to FSU).

Reviewing my original predictions…

I had Clemson finishing 9-3 and 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic, only one game off. I picked Clemson to lose to Auburn, FSU, and one of the two in the quick turnaround VT/Wake Forest week. I’m going to unilaterally give myself a pass for missing the Auburn game. I didn’t think they’d be world beaters, but I certainly thought they’d be one of the better teams on our schedule. As low as the ACC sunk this year, maybe they still are one of the tougher games on the schedule, but you get my point, which is to say that we all thought they’d be much better than they ended up. Clemson did not beat anyone as good as the 2011 Auburn Tigers this season.

As far as the FSU pick, neither team wins road games in that rivalry so it was an easy pick. As for beating both VT and Wake Forest, I credit Dabo and the growing maturity of the squad for not allowing a let down. I’ve become accustomed to  ridiculous Clemson losses to the likes of Boston College (2010) and Maryland (2009) so to beat the teams we’re supposed to beat was a change.

Finally, I had picked Clemson to defeat Columbia behind an offensive line that had all season to gel and get stronger. I thought the O-line would be a major problem, and for the whole of the season, it really wasn’t, but the difference in the ACC and SEC was exposed in a big way against Columbia. Clemson scored no less than 37 in games against non-SEC teams. Against Auburn, a team that would end the season at 3-9 and looking for a new head coach, they scored just 26 and then in the tragedy against Columbia they scored only 17. Jadeveon Clowney had 4.5 sacks in the game, a Memorial Stadium record, and a number that eclipsed the amount of A’s than he received in high school (Not really. I have no idea how many A’s he earned in Rock Hill, but he did get a 500 on the SAT). I’m not sure what to attribute that to, because FSU has a defensive line as good as any, but there is something about SEC teams that isn’t just ESPN hype.

Also, bookus of credit is owed to guest blogger and preseason predictor, Jon Tomevi, who was 12/12 in his predictions, putting us at 10-2 with losses to FSU and Columbia. I think I’ll just ask him who’s going to win each game rather than buying season tickets next year.

In the preseason prognostication, we said that Clemson needed to avoid the trap game (check!) and get production from Corico Wright, Dalton Freeman, and Brandon Ford (check, check, and check). The thing we didn’t realize was just how bad our defense really was, and how long it would take for Venables to fix things. The 20 yard run on 3rd and 19 by South Carolina will mark their low point in a game where the offense inexplicably abandoned them amidst drop after drop from Hopkins and Watkins. Clemson led the ACC with six All-ACC players, but only one was on the defensive side, and even he (R. Hall) was on the second team.

Looking forward, I imagine the Tigers will face LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl with Florida going to the Sugar Bowl and Alabama and Georgia splitting the National Championship and Capital One Bowl. If I’m right, I think it could get ugly. If you can’t beat South Carolina at home, at night, with an amazing crowd and everything in the world to play for, how the heck are you going to beat LSU in an uninspiring neutral site game? I wouldn’t want anything less though. Beating Mississippi State would provide nothing more than false hope and illusions of national title contention. Gimme LSU and a wake up call (screaming that “those ACC wins over GT and Maryland don’t mean squat, and you still have a long ways to go”) or a big win and reason to believe that next year is going to be special, and it really could be. 2013 starts with UGA, a team that at the moment, is just one win away from a National Championship berth. It’s quite possible that Clemson could return almost all their star players and be improved next year. It’s also possible that Tajh Boyd, DeAndre Hopkins, and Chad Morris could all be gone next year.

From the time I became a Clemson fan, my goal for the program was to win the ACC, and I was THRILLED when we finally did it. Now, that goal has moved up a notch, to winning a BCS bowl. We won’t accomplish it this year, but I believe next year, barring key departures, Clemson could have an undefeated ACC regular season (but that does not mean they will beat UGA or Columbia) and have another shot at the Orange Bowl, and the last real shot before the BCS playoff blows up the system and requires a recalibration of goals.

Until then, Go Tigers!

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Clemson 2012 Season Preview: Guest Blog Post

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

If the three Clemson related blog posts this week didn’t give it away, I, like the rest of Tiger Nation, am very excited about the impending football season (that can happen when you’re a reigning champion). I asked former Clemson football recruiting assistant, Jon Tomevi, to share his expectations for Clemson’s upcoming football season, as I did earlier in the week. Jon did that and more with an insightful game-by-game breakdown for our Tigers.

Jon Tomevi is a 2012 Clemson graduate with experience in marketing and pharmaceuticals, and an obvious knack for writing. You can engage Jon on Twitter, LinkedIn, or in the comments section below.

2012 Clemson Football Preview

Clemson comes into the 2012 season ranked 14th in the country, its highest pre-season ranking since 2008 (9th). After a 10-4 record, ACC Championship, and the program’s first BCS bowl appearance, the expectations in Tiger Town are very high. Clemson returns virtually all of its playmakers from the 2011 team which had the nation’s 24th best scoring offense under first year Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris. Below are my brief game-by-game predictions for the 2012 season.
vs. Auburn  (September 1, 7:00pm, ESPN)
Unlike the past three years, Clemson will open the season away from Death Valley. A matchup with a familiar Auburn team in a city where Clemson has struggled of late makes for a very intriguing game to start the 2012 campaign. There are quite a few storylines in play, but three stick out to me in particular.

First, Clemson will be without preseason ACC Player of the Year Sammy Watkins. Watkins torched Auburn in their 2011 matchup and was a huge reason Clemson broke Auburn’s 17 game winning streak. Believe it or not, I am not too worried about Clemson missing Watkins. Wide Receiver is Clemson’s deepest position and Nuk Hopkins has proven he can be a big-time receiver when needed. The offseason progress of sophomores Martavis Bryant and Charone Peake, along with the reliability of senior Jaron Brown, should give Tajh Boyd plenty of options to attack a depleted Auburn secondary.

Second, both teams are dealing with new coordinators and this will be their first true test. Brent Venables was brought to Clemson because of his proven ability to stop the spread offense. Meanwhile, Auburn brought in new coordinators on both sides of the football. I have only heard good things about Venables thus far and the players seem to love his system. Although I expect Kiehl Frazier to be starting for Auburn’s offense and eventually be an All-SEC QB at Auburn, I am not sure how he is going to handle learning a new offense and making his first career start against a Clemson secondary that returns three starters from 2011. On the other side of the football, Auburn’s defense is young but returns nine starters from last season.

Lastly, the game is in Atlanta where Clemson historically has struggled. Clemson hasn’t won in the Gate City since January 2004 and is 1-5 in openers away from Death Valley since 1975. Despite Clemson’s inexperience on the offensive line, I think their talent at the skill positions will prove too much for Auburn’s defense which was prone to big plays in 2011.

Favorable Stat: Auburn’s defense held opponents just to 48.39% on third down conversions in 2011 which ranked last in the SEC and 107th nationally.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 27, Auburn 21

vs. Ball State (September 8, 12:30pm, ESPN3)
Next on Clemson’s schedule is Ball State. The Cardinals finished 2011 with a 6-6 record and a 4th place finish in the MAC’s West Division. While their offense finished in the middle of the pack nationally in 2011, their defense was atrocious and surrendered nearly 35 points a game. Ball State was blown out against the two ranked opponents they faced last year and I don’t see this trend changing when the visit Death Valley. Even without Sammy Watkins suiting up, Clemson shouldn’t have a problem scoring enough points to put this game away in the third quarter.
Favorable Stat: Ball State’s defense gave up at least 500 yards in 8 of their 12 games in 2011.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 45, Ball State 13

vs. Furman (September 15, 3:00pm)
The Paladins come marching down I-85 with nothing to lose in a week three matchup versus the Tigers. While compiling a 6-5 record in 2011, Furman ended the season by giving Florida a run for their money in Gainesville. Furman outscored their 2011 opponents 103-46 in the first quarter last year, so a quick start from the FCS challengers would not be shocking. In the end though, the return of Watkins along with superior talent across the board propel the Tigers to their third win of 2012 and set up a huge ACC opener in Tallahassee.
Favorable Stat: Furman ranked near the bottom of the FCS with only 5.09 tackles for a loss per game in 2011.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 49, Furman 17

at Florida State (September 22)
Clemson’s toughest road test of the season comes early in the season and could very well determine the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Florida State, ranked 7th in the Coaches’ Poll, has only lost to Clemson in Tallahassee once since 1990. Although they underachieved in 2011, the Seminoles are a very talented squad and won’t make things easy on the Tigers. Although Clemson has the playmakers to win this game, Florida State’s talented defensive line may give Clemson too much trouble in front of a raucous crowd. I do think this will be a close game, but I have to give the edge and inside track to a division championship to the home team.
Favorable Stat: Florida State was 110th nationally in 2011 allowing 3.15 sacks per game.
Jon’s Prediction: Florida State 30, Clemson 24

at Boston College  (September 29)
Coming off a tough loss to Florida State the week before, Clemson will be the more talented team and hungry for their first ACC win of 2012. Without Luke Kuechly and Montel Harris, I can’t see the Eagles being much better this season. Despite the hire of Offensive Coordinator Doug Martin, Clemson’s defense should be able to contain a Boston College offense that ranked in the bottom half of the FBS last season. The Eagles’ run defense was very poor last year, and I expect All-ACC RB Andre Ellington to have a big afternoon.
Favorable Stat: Boston College ranked last in the nation with only 8 sacks in 2011.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 38, Boston College 14

vs. Georgia Tech (October 6)
It’s Brent Venables’ turn to figure out Paul Johnson’s triple option offense. Truthfully, not too many teams figured out how to stop Georgia Tech last season as the Jackets averaged nearly 35 points per game with the nation’s second best rushing attack. Luckily for Clemson, they don’t need to stop the triple option to win the game, they just need to slow it down enough for the offense to take the game over. Clemson could have easily won last year’s matchup if they took better care of the football and I expect them to do that in front of the home crowd this year. Brent Venables 1 – Paul Johnson 0.
Favorable Stat: Georgia Tech allowed opponents to score TDs on 66.67% of trips to red zone last season (95th nationally).
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 35, Georgia Tech 24

vs. Virginia Tech (October 22)
Simply put, Clemson’s offense was too quick for Bud Foster’s defense in 2011. The Tigers handedly beat Virginia Tech twice last year and the Hokies will be looking to replace eight starters on the offensive side of the football. Logan Thomas is a very skilled QB who should be even better in 2012, but the lack of weapons at his disposal should allow Clemson’s defense to force turnovers and set up Chad Morris’ troops to really wear down the Hokies.
Favorable Stat: Virginia Tech’s net punting in 2011 was only 33.62 yards per punt which ranked 108th nationally.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 24, Virginia Tech 13

at Wake Forest (October 25, 7:30pm, ESPN)
To me, this is a trap game for Clemson. Wake Forest proved they were a team on the rise last season by beating Florida State and taking Clemson right down to the wire in Death Valley. After Clemson’s last Thursday night game in Winston-Salem, Tommy Bowden stepped down as head coach. Historically, Clemson hasn’t played well on Thursdays but I think Dabo will have everyone focused and ready to take care of business. This will be a much closer game than it should be, but a big play in the fourth quarter will give the Tigers the lead for good as they escape with a 4-1 ACC record.
Favorable Stat: Wake Forest only converted 35.45% of 3rd downs which ranked last in the ACC and 103rd nationally.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 28, Wake Forest 24

at Duke (November 3)
After squeaking out a tight win versus Wake Forest, the Tigers will use the extra days of rest to be ready to take it to the Blue Devils in Durham. Despite the impressive All-ACC WR Conner Veron, Duke will be outmatched at every position on the field. Duke fans will already be looking forward to basketball season at this point and Clemson shouldn’t have a problem earning another ACC win.
Favorable Stat: In 2011, Duke had the worst turnover margin in the ACC (-0.75 per game).
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 45, Duke 10

vs. Maryland (November 10)
After cruising to a win in Durham the week before, Clemson hosts ACC Atlantic cellar-dweller Maryland. Maryland is coming off of a dismal 2-10 season in 2011 and by this point in the season I don’t think their confidence is going to be too high. Head Coach Randy Edsall had five starters transfer from the program and lost others to graduation, so it may not be Maryland’s year to improve an offense that ranked 90th in the FBS and a defense that ranked 111th. Even though Maryland gave Clemson all they could handle last season, I don’t see the Tigers being challenged in this one, especially at home.
Favorable Stat: Maryland converted on just 69.57% of red zone trips which ranked last in the ACC and 113th nationally
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 41, Maryland 14

vs. North Carolina State (November 17)
Arguably Clemson’s ugliest loss of 2011 came on the road against North Carolina State at about this same time in the season. It’s hard to predict how the Wolfpack will fare in 2012. They didn’t do very many things well the first half of last season, but picked up steam coming down the stretch.  2011 AP All-American CB David Amerson has the ability to slow Watkins down, but the Tigers simply have too much talent to fall to this NC State team two years in a row. The Textile Bowl Trophy is going to stay in the West End Zone this offseason.
Favorable Stat: NC State only had 36 plays of 20 or more yards in 2011 which ranked 11th in the ACC and 108th nationally
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 31, NC State 17

vs. South Carolina (November 24)
Clemson’s regular season comes to an end at home versus the much hated South Carolina Gamecocks. Clemson will be looking to avoid losing this game for the fourth year in a row, something that has not happened since the 1950s. As much as I dislike South Carolina, they have a very talented team. RB Marcus Lattimore should be a Heisman Trophy contender if healthy and QB Connor Shaw proved he could lead this offense in 2011.

The Gamecocks had the nation’s third best scoring defense in 2011, and although they will need to replace four starters on that side of the ball, I expect to see a strong defense once again. Much like Dabo, Spurrier’s biggest concern this offseason was filling holes on the offensive line. I don’t except to see a blowout again this season, but I’m not sure how much confidence I have in picking the Tigers to break the three game losing streak.
Favorable Stat: Since 2005, Steve Spurrier has had 44 players arrested.
Jon’s Prediction: South Carolina 24, Clemson 20

If everything plays out as I predict, Clemson will finish the 2012 regular season with a very respectable 10-2 record. The Week Four loss in Tallahassee would likely come back to bite the Tigers and keep them out of the ACC Championship game. I could see Clemson dropping the Thursday night matchup against Wake Forest or the season opener versus Auburn, so 10-2 is optimistic.

There are three main keys to Clemson’s success in 2012:

1)     A lot of freshmen and sophomores saw significant minutes in 2011 for the Fightin’ Dabos. Although it wasn’t always pretty last year, Tiger fans should hopefully see these younger players make significant strides forward in 2012 after learning and growing from 2011 this offseason. How these players handle themselves will be a big factor in how Clemson performs this season.

2)     Excluding games against Virginia Tech, Clemson’s 2011 defense was not pretty to watch. After the Orange Bowl blowout, Dabo sent Kevin Steele packing and brought in Brent Venables from Oklahoma. Although I still think Steele wasn’t 100% of the problem, a change in defensive culture may prove to be a good thing for the Tigers. The players seem to prefer the simplicity of Venables’ defense so far and I hope this a sign of things to come in 2012. Clemson should have one of the nation’s top offenses again, but the key to a successful 2012 season will be the defense. Will the defense stop opponents enough to give Clemson a chance to return to another ACC Championship game?

3)     Clemson started eight different players on the offensive line in 2011. Only two of those players return in 2012. The big key to repeating as one of the nation’s top offenses will be how well this unit plays. All-ACC Center Dalton Freeman should anchor the offensive line and provide the veteran leadership the younger guys need to succeed. With the installation of some packages from the Pistol Offense, Chad Morris and Robbie Caldwell have worked on some new blocking schemes with this group already. If this unit can gel together and give Boyd enough time to get the ball in the hands of Clemson’s playmakers, the Tigers will be able to showcase another exciting offense in 2012.

There are definitely plenty of unanswered questions coming into this season, but that is what makes it so exciting for Clemson fans. Although we will never stop hearing “will Clemson pull another Clemson?” there has been a definite culture change these past three seasons. I have had a chance to witness the culture change at Clemson closer than most people, and trust me, everyone in and near the football program believes in Dabo. This is not the same Clemson team we saw under Tommy Bowden from 1999-2008, and I am very optimistic the 2012 Tigers will be the team we all hope they will be.

Go Tigers!

Thank you for reading. If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, please contact me via twitter or in the comments below.

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

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Clemson 2012 Season Preview: Clemson Will Be Wildly Unpredictable, Improving As The Season Progresses

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Of all 120 FBS football programs, Clemson’s year-to-year results may be the most unpredictable. An up-and-down championship season in 2011, makes 2012 even tougher to predict than usual, but here is my best effort.

Clemson Football 2012

Clemson returns a bevy of talented skill players to what was one of the most potent offenses in the country in 2011. Along with a defense that should be markedly improved, you’d think everything would be butterflies and roses, but of course there are some reasons for concern.

Although the starting wide receivers (Watkins, Hopkins, Brown), running back (Andre Ellington), and quarterback (Tajh Boyd) will all return, star tight end, Dwayne Allen, and  three of five starting offensive lineman have graduated. First team All-ACC center, Dalton Freeman and Brandon Thomas are the lone returning O-linemen. Freeman will be heavily relied upon for leadership of the group. The performance of the O-line is the single most crucial factor to Clemson’s success in 2012.

On the other side of the ball, Clemson’s defense can only improve after last year’s unit did little to help an often dominant offense (notable exceptions coming in wins against Virginia Tech). The squad will be without arguably its best player in 2011, Andre Branch (DE), who is in the NFL after becoming a second round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive tackles Brandon Thompson and Rennie Moore (remember that sack he had with a separated shoulder to beat FSU?) will also be playing on Sundays, leaving the defensive line a bit thin. Clemson has gained a reputation for boasting incredible talent on the D-line, (William “Refrigerator” Perry, Gaines Adams, Da’Quan Bowers, Ricky Sapp, and soon Robert Nkemdiche just to name a few) so that worries me less than the offensive line. A young and talented group of linebackers should improve enough to make up for decline on the defensive line. Of course, the biggest change on the defensive side of the ball will come with the arrival of Brent Venables to take over for the beleaguered Kevin Steele as defensive coordinator.

So, most of the skill players on offense will return, but the offensive line will be almost completely rebuilt. The defense has new leadership coming from the former Oklahoma defensive coordinator, Brent Venables. Although the defensive line may not be as strong as last year’s, improved linebacking should make up the difference and the secondary will be solid. Now on to the predictions…

FIRST QUARTER

1.  9/1…Clemson vs. Auburn (GA Dome)
2.  9/8…Ball State @ Clemson
3.  9/15…Furman @ Clemson

This year’s Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game matches a ranked Auburn team that begins the season with two new coordinators against the reining conference champion Clemson Tigers, who start ranked 14th with a new defensive coordinator of their own. With so much uncertainty, this  one is awfully hard to predict, but because Clemson’s O-line will just be beginning to gel and Auburn claims its strength on the D-line there will be at least one major advantage slanting in Auburn’s favor. Additionally, Sammy Watkins is suspended for the first two games of the season, precluding him from playing against Auburn. Clemson has started just six seasons away from Death Valley since 1975 and is 1-5 in those season openers. Nothing will surprise me in this one.

Ball State will be a heavy underdog and shouldn’t present much of an issue, though the program did manage some national relevance in 2008 when they cracked the national rankings. They ended that season by losing to Rutgers by 22 in the International Bowl.

Furman, a FCS school, will be Clemson’s third opponent in what is likely to be a snooze-fest in the South Carolina heat. It is my hope that these FCS creampuffs are the replaced by Syracuse in future Clemson schedules–though my fear is that the Auburns of the world will be replaced.

Record after three games: 2-1 

SECOND QUARTER

4.  9/22…Clemson @ Florida State
5.  9/27…Clemson @ Boston College
6.  10/6…Georgia Tech @ Clemson

Since 1990, the Tigers have managed just one win in Doak Campbell Stadium. With FSU entering this season as the #7 team in the nation according to the USA Today poll, stealing the biggest win of the season in Tallahassee may prove to be too tough a task. Of course, FSU was pre-season ranked #5 last season and ended at #23 (USA Today Poll).

Clemson has struggled with BC in the past, but they can beat them on talent alone this season. I’m looking for the O-line to start showing some promise by this point of the season and some offensive fireworks to come against BC, who lost a major portion of their defense to graduation, including Luke Kuechly.

Stopping Georgia Tech’s gimmicky, infuriating option often posed an issue for Kevin Steele’s defenses, most memorably in the 2009 ACC Championship game. In this year’s edition of the rivalry Brent Venables will show that he can do what Kevin Steele struggled so mightily with, direct the defense in stopping the triple option as Clemson really begins to hit its stride.

Record after six games: 4-2 

THIRD QUARTER

BYE WEEK
7.  10/20…Virginia Tech @ Clemson
8.  10/25…Clemson @ Wake Forest
9.  11/3…Clemson @ Duke

This is where predictions start to go haywire. At this point of the season coming off a win against rival Georgia Tech and a bye week, Clemson should be favored at home against the Hokies. I find it hard to believe that Clemson can beat VT three times in a row, but it is far from unrealistic. Logan Thomas is a very talented quarterback and Virginia Tech always offers solid defense and special teams.

Beating VT and Wake Forest within a five-day span is a lot to ask. Last time Clemson went to Winston-Salem on a Thursday night Tommy Bowden was coaching his last game. The Tigers always have a ridiculous loss (2011 NCSU, 2010 BC, 2009 UMD) so maybe it strikes at this point in the season if they are coming off a big win against VT. Clemson has lost their last three ACC Thursday night road games (2006 @VT, 2008 @WF, 2009 @GT).

Duke is a respectable school and they’re certainly better than they were years ago, but they will be heavily outgunned at nearly every position.

Record after nine games: 6-3 

FOURTH QUARTER

10.  11/10…Maryland @ Clemson
11.  11/17…NC State @ Clemson
12.  11/24…South Carolina @ Clemson

Maryland, the annoying thorn in Clemson’s side. In 2011, the Tigers were Maryland’s only FBS victory and last season Clemson needed a Sammy Watkins led comeback to salvage a victory. Clemson will be at home, they’re more talented, better coached, and shouldn’t lose this game, although nothing shocks me in this series anymore.

After NC State embarrassed Clemson last season, I don’t see them beating the Tigers in Death Valley this year. The Textile Bowl, as the game is dubbed, has been won by Clemson in seven of the last eight matchups.

Finally, we get to the second biggest game of the year. I’ve got my tickets, I’m excited to go, and I’m a little worried that the season will end with a fourth straight loss to South Carolina. The Gamecocks haven’t beat the Tigers four years in a row since 1951-1954.

South Carolina deserves an award for winning the most football games without actually accomplishing anything. They’ve won 20 games over the past two seasons, but lost by 39 in their only first ever SEC championship appearance and are 1-1 in two non-BCS bowls in those years. This year, UGA will be the top Dawg in the SEC East. South Carolina has had a nice run against Clemson, but it ends in a very pedestrian, 8-4 season (their schedule is outrageously difficult).

Overall 9-3 (6-2)

Last season Clemson started strong out of the gates with an 8-0 record and lucid National Championship dreams, but came tumbling down, finishing 2-4 down the stretch and 10-4 overall. Obviously, last season was a major success as the Tigers captured the ever elusive ACC Championship. In 2012, Clemson has an opportunity to improve as the season progresses and their O-line gels. They will continue to build a program that shall eventually be winning BCS bowls on a semi-regular basis (starting in 2013!).

Finally, my 2012 Clemson season preview wouldn’t be complete without pointing out one of the most interesting stats in Clemson football and giving myself a rating for last season’s game picks. Clemson, for whatever reason, is really good in odd-numbered years (e.g., 1981 – National Championship, 1991 – ACC Championship, 2011 – ACC Championship) and really mediocre in even-numbered seasons. Since 1971 Clemson is 85-37-2 in odd-numbered years and 76-49-1 in even-numbered years. 2012 is obviously and unfortunately even-numbered. Take that for what you will.

Last season I picked Clemson to go 9-3 and play for, but lose, the conference championship. They beat my expectations by defeating Virginia Tech in Charlotte, the team I had them losing to in the title match. I picked them to lose to Auburn, GT, and VT and had them beating NC State and South Carolina – Columbia Campus. I’d say those predictions deserve at least a B+.

For another perspective, take a look at this what contributor to SB Nation had to say about Clemson’s upcoming football season and how Greg Wallace of The Anderson Independent Mail sees 2012 going for the Tigers.

Please leave your opinions in the comment section below. I’d love to hear what you think. You may want to copy your comment to your clip board (CTRL+C) before you submit in case WordPress has any posting issues, which isn’t all that rare.

Note: I’d also like to mention a very cool story out of Anderson, SC last weekend. Sammy Watkins accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior and was Baptized at Newspring Church. After his ugly off-season, hearing something so positive from him is a blessing. Additionally, Corico (Hawkins) Wright gave us some touching news in the last week by reconnecting with his father.

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

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UGA Football 2012 Season Preview: Guest Blog Post

I Attempt To Solve Every Problem With The BCS and The Bowl Season In One Fell Swoop

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The vast expanses of empty seats in these college bowl games really demonstrate how the process is becoming watered down. There are now 35 bowl games, yet ESPN ran a story about how a 7-5 Western Kentucky team got robbed. With their two marquee wins coming against Florida International and Louisiana-Lafayette, can we please refrain from complaining about this mediocre team being left out? I understand that a bowl game would have meant the world to that program, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t have gotten UCLA’s bowl bid, but when did we decide that every team that earns a winning record (or in the case of 6-7 UCLA, a barely losing record) deserves a bowl game? I thought that was just the bare minimum. Some of these lower tier bowl games are the equivalent of matching up 15 and 16 seeded teams in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and trying to convince us that we should tune in (and I do).

As the NCAA continues to add more bowls to the schedule, the bowl season is slowly creeping deeper and deeper into January. Clemson, playing in the Orange Bowl on a Wednesday night, is having a hard time selling their allotment of 17,500 tickets. Their opponent West Virginia is having even more trouble. Both South Carolina and West Virginia public schools will be back in session by the time January 4th rolls around, making it hard for families to take the week off for a trip to Miami. I’m betting it would boost average attendance, if the NCAA brought some of the prestige back to earning a bowl bid and cut some of the superfluous bowls (GoDaddy.com Bowl anyone?). Additionally, that may allow planners a little more flexibility to slot the bowl games on days where more families can make the trip.

Clemson will play in their 34th bowl game this year, a pretty impressive record. For comparison, Notre Dame has played in 30 bowl games. Unfortunately, it’s being washed out by every halfway decent team making a bowl game for each of the last 10 or so years. Even South Carolina plays in bowl games these days (they’ll play Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl for a chance at their fifth all-time bowl victory).

On top of the bevy of bland bowls, this is one of the few seasons when the BCS got it wrong. They gave it to an Alabama team that had a clearly inferior resume to that of the #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys. It has gotten everyone squawking and demanding a four or even eight team playoff system, but I think I’ve found a simpler solution.

First let’s stop adding bowl games and instead let the BBVA Compass Bowls of the world expire, getting us back to a more reasonable amount of bowl games and bowl teams. Then let’s exclude the National Championship from the bowl schedule. Moving the two highest ranked teams from the National Championship game to the traditional bowl schedule would knock out two more average teams and make the bowl season that much more enjoyable and important. By taking those two steps we’ve restored the prestige and interest to the bowl season.

Then, after every bowl game is played, and we’ve seen all those non-conference matchups, the BCS can come out with its most important rankings–the one that will determine the BCS National Championship game. Using this season as our example we wouldn’t have VT or Michigan in the BCS. Instead we’d see a little more clarity as Alabama and Oklahoma State would play in their BCS Bowls (potentially against each other) before a National Championship Game need be decided. This would turn the BCS bowls in a defacto playoff, add prestige to the bowl games rather than ruining them as a standard playoff bracket would do, and keep college football the best brand of football in the world.

Are you on board?

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Catharsis For Clemson With First Championship Since 1991: My 100th Blog Post

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

This is my 100th blog post! I hope you’ve enjoyed following my blog to this point. It’s really starting to take off. I’m nearing 10,000 all time views and I just added the pageview counter to the right sidebar. The CEO of a marketing research company told me he browsed by blog this weekend which really made my day. Thank you to my current followers and as always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account you’ll have to enter your email address. Thanks for reading!

In front of an ACC Championship record crowd of 73,675, composed of the two most passionate fan bases in the ACC, Clemson scored 28 unanswered second half points to claim the ACC Championship, defeating Virginia Tech 38-10. Will Smith’s “Miami” played over the speaker system as the clock struck 0:00, and Clemson clinched their first Orange Bowl berth since the 1981 National Championship season.

The game was played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the Panthers’ home field, which is an absolutely beautiful venue. Clemson ended last season in the same venue, though much less spectacularly in the Meineke Car Care Bowl (now the Belk Bowl). See my photos below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clemson finished the game with 217 rushing yards. “I’m proud of Andre Ellington. He was big time player tonight on a big stage,” said Swinney. “He was one of the big keys in the game for us because we were able to run the football.” (ClemsonTigers.com)

Me and my much more attractive girlfriend at Bank of America stadium for what would turn into one of my most emotional and memorable sports moments, as a much deprived Clemson fan base was finally rewarded for their exuberant passion.

In my opinion, the great job Ellington did establishing the run set up QB Tajh Boyd to hit Dwayne Allen (who with this game cemented himself as the best TE in college football) for two TDs and Sammy Watkins (ACC rookie of the year) for another. He deserves a ton of credit, but it was the Clemson defense which really seized the momentum. The much maligned unit, receiving much criticism all year (and deservingly so), recovered a Logan Thomas fumble (caused by a great tackle from LB Shaq Anthony) on VT’s first drive. Boyd would then hit Allen for the first touchdown of the game. With that score Clemson grabbed a 7-0 lead and suddenly started believing in themselves again. The fans starting believing again too. Full recap here.

This championship game topped a great deal of memorable sports moments for me, including a FSU @ Clemson football game on Labor Day in 2007 which was my first as a Clemson undergrad, a Clemson @ South Carolina-Columbia game which Clemson won on a FG as time expired, and a whole bevy of Yankee moments involving Mariano Rivera and Aaron Boone.

For me, this was the most satisfying win I’ve enjoyed since the Aaron Boone game in the 2003 ALCS against Boston. Late in the fourth quarter, a Clemson fan a few rows in front of me stood up on his chair and turned around. He started the traditional Clemson cadence count chant, and then screamed “This is why we are THE university of South Carolina. We always have been, and we always will be!” He was referencing comments from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney the Thursday before the game, in response to rude unsolicited insults from South Carolina-Columbia head coach Steve Spurrier. When he finished, the fans around burst into cheers as things got pretty emotional and teary. Years and years of frustration were finally quelled as Clemson accomplished the clear and simple overriding competitive goal of the athletic program–win a ACC football championship.

Credit to VT for a very good 11-2 season. Their fans were very nice, friendly and humble while fraternizing before kickoff. They’ll still go to the BCS, playing Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. Two ACC teams in the BCS will mean a lot more money going into the conference coffers. I on the other hand will be following the Clemson Tigers down to Miami for the Orange Bowl to cap off what has been the most successful Clemson football season in my lifetime!

Go Tigers!

Study Reveals That People Living in Charlottesville, VA Love London

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Ok, the title is totally a lie, and I’m not even referencing London, England. Mike London, the second year head coach of the University of Virginia has done a great job, and I am assuming he’s already beloved in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Hoos or Cavaliers, whatever their preferred title is, play their football.

After Maryland beat Miami in front of a suddenly impassioned fan base, I was pretty impressed, and wrote an article about Randy Edsall, the new Maryland coach who brought the UConn football program from Div II to the Fiesta Bowl. After that win, they beat Towson, and that’s about it. Actually that’s literally it. Towson and Miami are there only wins on a 2-9 (they’d finish 2-10) season. They even lost to Temple– by 31.

So while I may have been wrong about Randy Edsall in Maryland, one of the other new ACC coaching hires I was high on, Mike London, is on his way to ACC Coach of the Year and hopefully the ACC Championship Game. I should have wrote a post about him, instead of Edsall, and I’d be looking pretty smart right about now. (To be fair it took Mike London two seasons to figure it out in Charlottesville, and I think Randy Edsall has a chance to bounce back in 2012.) After a 4-8 season last year, London’s UVA squad has a good chance to reach nine wins in 2011.

Mike London has turned around a paltry UVA football program that has only won three ACC games in the last two seasons. While they lost on the road to UNC and at home to Southern Miss early in the season, it seems they’ve improved as the year has continued with a shocking win against a GT team that was ranked #12 at the time and most recently a win against a FSU football team that was finally playing good football again. Now they have a chance to beat their in-state nemesis, Virginia Tech, and punch their ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game. They’re underdogs at home, but to even be playing meaningful football games this late in the season, is a huge step for that program. I hope Scott Stadium is packed and loud.

Kudos on a great year Mike London, and UVA fans. Clemson fans and alumni like myself wish you luck against the Hokies on Saturday. Hopefully we’ll see you in Charlotte.

Is there any question that Mike London should win the ACC Coach of the year? It was Dabo Swinney’s, until the Tigers season began looking like a classic Clemson letdown (please beat USC). If not London for ACC COY, then who?

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. Thanks for reading!