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YOUR BALANCE
1998 season - Clemson's modern-day low point
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1998 season - Clemson's modern-day low point


Sep 20, 2019, 4:02 PM

the final 1998 AP football poll is below.
Clemson finished that season with a dumpster-fire record of 3-8.

I count 15 of the final Top 25 that year that are now total dumpster fires, or are in the midst of clawing their way back from being a dumpster fire.

Just 10 schools from that poll are still Top 25 type programs. And even some of those (Penn State, Texas, Syracuse, Michigan) have gone through a terrible period in those 20 seasons.


1998 Final AP Football Poll
Rank Team (FPV) Conf Rec Pts
1 < 1 Tennessee (70) SEC 13-0
2 < 3 Ohio State Big Ten 11-1
3 < 2 Florida State ACC 11-2
4 < 5 Arizona Pac-10 12-1
5 < 7 Florida SEC 10-2
6 < 9 Wisconsin Big Ten 11-1
7 < 10 Tulane C-USA 12-0
8 < 6 UCLA Pac-10 10-2
9 < 12 Georgia Tech ACC 10-2
10 < 4 Kansas State Big 12 11-2
11 < 8 Texas A&M Big 12 11-3
12 < 15 Michigan Big Ten 10-3
13 < 16 Air Force WAC 12-1
14 < 19 Georgia SEC 9-3
15 < 20 Texas Big 12 9-3
16 < 11 Arkansas SEC 9-3
17 < 22 Penn State Big Ten 9-3
18 < 13 Virginia ACC 9-3
19 < 14 Nebraska Big 12 9-4
20 < 24 Miami (FL) Big East 9-3
21 < 23 Missouri Big 12 8-4
22 < 17 Notre Dame Ind 9-3
23 < NR Virginia Tech Big East 9-3
24 < NR Purdue Big Ten 9-4
25 < 18 Syracuse Big East 8-4

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Re: 1998 season - Clemson's modern-day low point


Sep 20, 2019, 4:07 PM

6 of our current ACC brethren were in that Top 25.

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Re: 1998 season - Clemson's modern-day low point


Sep 20, 2019, 4:56 PM

The 92 to 98 stretch was really bad, sandwiched between 91 ACC champ season (the last one before 2011) and Bowden's first year in 99 when we started to show a pulse.

92, 94, and 98 all losing record, non-bowl years, 93 Peach Bowl win over Kentucky was the highlight of the stretch. We though we were on right track in 95 with the Gator Bowl bid and got blown out by Syracuse and then followed up by getting blown out by UNC to open the 96 season.

Total train wreck.

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So in his final season, West wins 3 games with


Sep 20, 2019, 5:05 PM

A team full of his own recruits. As bad as Hatfield was at recruiting, was West actually worse?

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Re: So in his final season, West wins 3 games with


Sep 20, 2019, 5:17 PM

Yes. Worse.

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Ughh. How well I remember.


Sep 20, 2019, 5:12 PM

It just goes to show the way the cycle goes in sports. That’s one of the reasons why outside of some message board trash talk and putting some coots in their place when they talk about our schedule I stay humble. It’s a good way to be a fan and I’ve been around long enough to know how it goes in sports. Enjoy it while it lasts because winning doesn’t last forever.

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1975 Tigers would be in the conversation


Sep 20, 2019, 5:18 PM

Depending on what you mean by modern.

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1975 season is the clear winner as most woeful loser.


Sep 20, 2019, 6:47 PM

1975: Record 2-9, ONE home win, over Weak Florist, by a last second field goal, Homecoming, in the rain.
The season included the most lopsided LOSS to the Coots in history, 56-20.
It was followed by yet another dismal season in 1976, 3-6-2.

1998: Record 3-8, TWO home wins.
The season included a 28-19 WIN over the Coots.
It was followed by a coaching change, and immediate improvement to 6-6 in 1999.

Every time I see someone refer to 1998 as the worst season, it reminds me of the Coots thinking football history began in 2009. :)

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I'm old enough to remember the '75 season


Sep 20, 2019, 7:28 PM

and even attended most of the home games that season. But I still consider 1998 worse, not solely because of the W-L math, but because of EXPECTATIONS. We were not good in 1975. We weren't supposed to contend for an ACC title. In 1975 Clemson hadn't been to a bowl game since the 1950's. We didn't even fire the coach after that dismal season.

But in 1998, we were supposedly building positively with a young, hungry Danny Ford protege. The BCS era had begun. We were a consistent bowl team, like 8 of the last 10 years or something. 3-8 was a complete surprise, and epic disaster. That VT 37-0 home blowout still puts me in a dark place. I remember standing there in Death Valley watching that in utter disbelief. 1-7 is probably the worst ACC record Clemson ever had.

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To each his own. But, I will see your 37-0 VT thrashing, and


Sep 20, 2019, 7:41 PM

Call with a 0-56 stomping by Bama in '75, and raise you the most miserable I have ever been at any football game, end zone at Willy B., day game, that old artificial turf they had in the chicken coop back then, the whole field looked white. From my vantage point, could not make out yard lines or sidelines. Had to totally depend on zebras to figure out whether yards were gained or not. The final score was 56-20 in favor of the Coots. But, I still say, Clemson drove the ball into field goal range right before the half, and the Coot clock operator ran out the time when there should have been enough time for us to kick it. That would have made the halftime score 20-10, given us some momentum, and who knows? But, the zebras did not have replay back then, and so, we got screwed out of the points opportunity. Just par for the course that day. <img border=">

Not arguing, I enjoy the discussion. I was not in position to make any games in 1998, so can't speak to anything concerning that season in person.

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My Senior year, and I didn’t miss a home game....


Sep 20, 2019, 8:13 PM [ in reply to 1975 season is the clear winner as most woeful loser. ]

It was brutal but it was a different era and we just felt fortunate to get to watch college football and enjoy the experience.

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Re: 1998 season - Clemson's modern-day low point


Sep 20, 2019, 5:25 PM

I remember that season well. It SUCKED. West was in over his head. The only saving grace was beating the Chickens in the end, giving us a better record than them. I remember seeing that shiney new coach in green coaching the #7 team and hoping he would be ours. The rest is history.

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Re: 1998 season - Clemson's modern-day low point


Sep 20, 2019, 5:55 PM

That 3-8 record was even worse than you might think. One win was against Furman, another against a 3-8 Maryland team at Homecoming, and the 3rd win was against a 1-10 South Carolina team.

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