Thursday August 20, 2009

Expectations; US AM; Radio Lineup

Expectations
I was a guest on an Atlanta sports talk show yesterday and one of the questions they asked was on the subject of expectations. The hosts wanted to know if Clemson fans had high expectations again this year or were they scarred from the pre-season hype and let down from last season.

My reply was that fans are still fans and most want to believe but Clemson fans were a little skeptical because they are scarred from last season.

I went back and looked at pre-season expectations and found some fascinating information. In a statistical oddity, Clemson does much better when expectations are low. Since 2003, every year the Tigers have been ranked in the pre-season they were not ranked in the final poll and every year when they were not in the pre-season poll they ended the season ranked.

In 2003, the Tigers were coming off of a 7-6 season and were not ranked in the pre-season poll. Not many fans could have expected a lot after a 30-0 loss in the opener at home to Georgia or when the Tigers fell to 5-4 after Wake Forest pounded the Tigers. However, Clemson ended the season on the huge roll to go 9-4. This was one of three teams under Bowden to win nine games. The Tigers finished the season ranked 22nd in both polls.

In 2004, Clemson was riding the big wave of positive off-season publicity and entered the season ranked 15th in the pre-season poll. The good vibes quickly went away after a 1-4 start. A four-game winning streak including a win over 11th ranked Miami in the Orange Bowl got the fan base excited again but then the Tigers lost to Duke the following week. Pre-season number 15 ended with a 6-5 campaign and no spot in the final poll.

The 2005 season started with low expectations coming off of the 6-5 season but the Tigers went 8-4 and finished 21st in the final poll despite not being ranked in the pre-season.

The 2006 season started with higher expectations as Clemson came into the season ranked 18th in the pre-season poll and even climbed into the top 10 after thumping Georgia Tech. The Tigers again could not handle success, lost four of the last five and ended the season unranked.

The unbelievable trend continued in 2007 when Clemson entered the season unranked but ended up going 9-4 and 21st in the final AP poll and 22nd in the USA Today poll.

There is no better example of this odd trend than last season when the pre-season number nine team ended up 7-6, unranked and with a new head coach.

The last six years have been an emotional roller coaster for players, coaches and fans. The good news was this program rebounded when it was at its lowest. They handled adversity with amazing resiliency. But they did not handle success very well.

This is not a news item to Clemson fans. But I thought it was interesting that over the last six seasons the Tigers that started the season ranked never ended up in the final poll and the teams that were not in the pre-season poll ended the year ranked.

Also a newsworthy item is that this was not just a Bowden issue. Since 1958 the Tigers have been ranked in the pre-season poll 20 times but in those years they finished the season ranked only 11 times.

Clemson has been ranked in the top ten of the pre-season poll seven times. In those seasons only twice did the Tigers finish in the top 10 and three of those seasons ended with the Tigers not ranked at all.

Clemson has finished ranked in the final poll 24 times and only 11 of those seasons started with a pre-season ranking.

I think in most cases it is OK to have high expectations. Florida, Southern Cal, Ohio State deal with it every year. In fact that is what you want. You should strive for high expectations. But at Clemson we have had a hard time with the higher expectations. Maybe handling success is something Dabo will change around here also.

U.S. Am
I got a chance to speak briefly with Clemson golfer Ben Martin yesterday before he headed to the Midwest. Martin and his father/caddy left today to go to Tulsa, OK to prepare for next week’s U.S. Amateur.

Martin is one of three former Tigers who will be in the field. Phillip Mollica and Sam Saunders are also in the field but Martin is the only one of the three that will be returning to school this fall.

Martin gained very valuable experience with some highlights at the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. I talked to his caddy at the Open and former Clemson player Michael Sims about Martin’s game. Sims agreed that his confidence will be much higher after having success at the highest level in June.

You can follow Martin, Mollica and Saunders starting Monday at the official website of the U.S. AM, www.usamateur.org.

Radio Lineup
I just wanted to drop a quick note for Tiger fans concerning the morning radio show. Monday we never schedule guests because I want it to be about the callers. Monday mornings are usually the first opportunity for fans to react to the weekend games. Tuesdays we will have a Southern Conference expert and a South Carolina expert on the show. Wednesday’s we will have Cris Ard from TigerIllustrated .com, a guest from South Carolina’s upcoming opponent and audio from Dabo and Spurrier’s Tuesday press conferences. On Thursdays we have an ACC expert, a Georgia expert and a guest from Clemson’s upcoming opponent. Fridays we will have Scott Rhymer of the Tiger Pre-Game show and a Clemson assistant coach. Tomorrow we will have former Clemson assistant and current Middle Tennessee defensive line coach Les Herrin to preview the Middle Tennessee game.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy.