i stopped at the ?***

For Realz. I'm not sure who their math geeks are, exactly, but their formula needs some tweaking. Last year in complete contravention of what everybody's eyes were telling them, their FPI somehow had Oklahoma favored to beat us.

It's like, really? Clemson had by far the better defense; Oklahoma played in the defense-optional Big 12, and the very year before they had been down 40-0 to a Clemson team missing Deshaun Watson before Big Game Bob's boys finally scored a late TD to avoid the shutout. Yes, yes, Oklahoma had added Baker Mayfield...but Clemson had added an even better QB in Watson, was by far the more statistically impressive team (not to mention the team that passed the eye test better), and somehow their math geeks remained convinced none of that mattered.

Something is messed up with their formula...which, by the way, they don't release or explain. If you're going to listen to the math geeks, make sure you're listening to the right ones. S&P+ over at Football Outsiders is a lot more accurate. They can explain what they're doing...and as a very bright guy called Einstein once pointed out, if you can't explain what you're doing, it isn't worth doing. S&P+ passes the sniff test, and the results test. ESPN's FPI...not so much.

While I agree FSU is in a peak year and is by a fairly substantial margin the biggest threat to Clemson's dominance over the ACC, we're still the Big Dogs; this year, they are the challenger and they are the ones with ground to make up. They know it, we know it, everybody in the ACC and probably the country knows it.

allorangeallthetime52®

CU Medallion [55332]

TigerPulse: 100%

Posts: 58366

Joined: 7/18/07

Re: FB Update: ESPN: Clemson the biggest threat to FSU?

Jun 9, 2016, 11:00 AM [ in reply to Re: FB Update: ESPN: Clemson the biggest threat to FSU? ]

DW4 will be starting his 2nd full season without injury and coming off of a college FB record setting season. DW4 will be in his 3d season, two season away from being a true freshman. Our young offensive players that had to play last year, will have more experience for this seasons. I'm looking for us to have our best, and most talented offensive line than we've had in many years to go along with the rest of our very talented offensive players. We will also have very young, but very talented defensive players with limited experience from last season, but bc of how talented they really are, they will be stepping up and owning their positions.

Our 2015 offensive depth chart, starters and backups were 9 freshman, with 3 freshman starters, and 6 freshman backups in the 2 and 3d string slots. 2015 defense, no starting freshman, but with 7 freshman backups.

Our 2016 offensive depth chart, starters and backups, no freshman starters with 2 freshman backups. 2016 defensive starters, No freshman, but a lot of soph with some Jrs and Srs mixed in, and 1 freshman backup. Also with the defense, am I the only one surprised that Scott Pagano isn't a starter on our defense by now with such a promise and pub when he was being recruited!!!

I think that our offense should be considerably better than last years offense. And I think that our D should be good enough for us to go undefeated again this season bc, I will never under estimate BV capabilities of getting the best out of his guys, and he has some very talented guys to coach up.

I'm thinking that we beat Aubarn right off the muscle. Louisville and FSU will be our 2 toughest ACC teams we'll face this year. With louisville in DV, and the noise level should affect them enough for us to win that one by 2 TDs. The FSU game is our 8th game, and I think that our D will have stepped it up enough by then to give our offense the ball back enough to out score them in a very close back and forth hard fought game... And if we leave dope county stadium with a W over FSU, we will finish season 12-0.

Regardless of how they choose to say it, it's still ### for tat when it all comes down to which Clemson/FSU team is the best in the given year. I do know that it is time that we beat FSU @ dope county stadium, and this year has to be the year for us to return to a playoff and NC game. Goooo Tigerssss!!!