Commentary: The Competition |
CLEMSON, SC --
"We're just going to play them one game at a time. Right now we're going to worry about Virginia. They're a fundamentally sound team and yadda, yadda, yadda…" If that's not one big coachism, I'm not sure I've ever heard one. Personally, I don't believe a single coachism I've ever heard and I don't expect you do either. Call me crazy, but I also don't look at games one at a time. I like to look at the entire schedule and see what I think the team's record will be at season's end, what bowl they'll likely be playing in, who their opponent might be and whether that bowl game will have any kind of national title implications whatsoever. The Competition's landscape changes with each week and that's what this article is about. I call it The Competition because I'm taking a look at each team on the Tigers' remaining 2000 slate. I size up what they did in their most recent games, which teams they are scheduled to play next and what the oddsmakers think about the potential outcomes of those games. Then I compare that data with similar information regarding Clemson's most recent and immediately upcoming games to draw comparisons. I hope you enjoy. September 23 @Virginia 3:30pm Clemson Outlook: Come week four, Tommy Bowden's troops will face their first of three tough road tests this season. Many experts are saying this one could go either way (and considering the Cavs may be looking for revenge after being dismantled in Death Valley last year, I can understand why), but I don't see Virginia being as improved as the Tigers should prove to be. I see Tommy B picking up his third ACC road victory here. September 30 @Duke 12:00 Clemson Outlook: I know, "There are no such things as gimmees in college football…that's why we play each game blah blah blah." Unless an imbalanced Durhamite bombs our busses, we roll out of town with a big, blue smear on the soles on our feet. As my grandpa used to say, "Clemson'll stomp a mudhole in their @$$." October 7 NC State TBA Clemson Outlook: This is a revenge setup for us, considering this is the only game from last season everyone feels as though we should have won. I'm sure two people who want this one most badly are named Bowden and Herring. Woe be to the Pack, no matter how much their new coaching staff cost them. Clemson wins. October 14 Maryland TBA Clemson Outlook: Last season, Woody Dantzler and Lamont Jordan put on an offensive clinic for the ticket holders in Byrd Stadium. Jordan carried the ball 26 times for 177 yards and 4 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Woody set a Clemson record with 435 total yards, running for 183 and passing for another 252. I anticipate Coach Herring will have his 'D' focused on preventing a repeat performance by Jordan. Not to mention the rest of Tommy's boys will want to win big on Homecoming, where the Tigers are 25-2-2 over the last 29 years. October 21 @UNC TBA Clemson Outlook: Last year's Tarheel defense didn't allow a point in the final 10 quarters of the '99 season…and they return all but one starter from that unit. That's not what scares me most (especially since Wake and Duke were two of their opponents in those final three games). Mike O'Cain is. Since Carl Torbush made the good decision of hiring the former Wolfpack head coach (also former Clemson QB and 1976 team MVP) as the Heels' offensive coordinator, all I've been thinking about is how his offenses gave Tiger 'Ds' fits in years past. If we slip up in trying to visit Tallahassee undefeated this year, this is the game where I say it happens. October 28 Georgia Tech TBA Clemson Outlook: Players love bulletin board material. It can often get them fired up to the point where they not only want to hit the opponents, but wouldn't object to running over the opposition's mothers as well. I have to believe coaches are the same way. "Everybody talks about Clemson, but I'm not all that sold on Clemson yet," Georgia Tech coach George O'Leary said. "Now everybody has a lot of film on them. Nobody really had that last year, especially early on. I think the jury's still out." If you ask me, Coach B has this game circled and will no doubt want to prove to Coach O'Leary that last year's offensive feats were no sham. The verdict could be a blowout. November 4 @FSU TBA Clemson Outlook: I know, I know. Last year our Tigers had the Noles on the ropes and gave Papa Bowden his biggest scare of the regular season. Unfortunately, the closest Clemson has come in years past (since being the last team from outside the state of Florida to win in Tallahassee the year following the infamous "Puntrooskie") was a 17-0 loss during Tommy West's inaugural coaching season. Since then, the Tigs have been outscored 156-3 on visits to Doak Campbell Stadium. I do believe we'll play FSU tight for the better part of the game, but feel that Tommy's Tigers will be down for the count before the final horn blows. Hopefully, the true Tiger Faithful are accurate in this being our only loss of the season. November 18 South Carolina TBA Clemson Outlook: This is where we pick up victory number 9 for the season. As much as I respect Coach Holtz for the task he has undertaken and believe that he will win as many as 4-5 games for the Columbia faithful this season, one of those wins will not come in Death Valley. This will be the 98th annual Chicken Kickin' and Tommy Bowden no doubt realizes that in Coach Holtz's two previous visits to the Valley (as Wolfpack head coach in the 70s) his teams outscored the Tigers by a 74-13 margin. Bowden will also be looking to secure a Gator Bowl bid, if my prognostications are accurate. As usual with The State Championship, throw the record books out the window, but Clemson gets the 'W' in this one. January 1, 2001 Toyota Gator Bowl 12:30pm(NBC) The potential lineup for the Toyota Gator Bowl will be an ACC selection (traditionally the 2nd place team, pending they don't go to a BCS bowl) vs the 2nd place team from the Big East or Notre Dame. I don't foresee Notre Dame having a successful season-in fact I see Bob Davie getting off the hot seat and into the unemployment line. That leaves the Big East Runner-up. If the expert prognosticators (I'm really not sure they exist) are accurate, the Miami Hurricanes will be atop the Big East standings by season's end. The likely 2nd place team for the Big East is #10 Virginia Tech. Last week, they stomped Akron 52-23. This Thursday night, they will travel to Greenville, NC to face off against a sound East Carolina Pirates team. Although the Hokies are favored by 5 ½ points, it wouldn't surprise me to see an upset-something the Pirates are good at. Clemson Outlook: This is where we land if the Tigers perform to their potential. Even if we run the table going into Bowden Bowl II-as most Clemson optimists expect-I see our strength (or weakness this year, especially compared to last season's tough slate) of schedule holding us out of the BCS lineup. The best part of that news is we'll be upgrading from the wonderful GeorgiaDome facilities our Peach Bowl selection has brought us in recent years. The bad news, we'll likely see Michael Vick standing on the opposite sideline. That will put Clemson and VaTech on the same field for the third time in as many seasons…and we all remember how the previous two turned out (most of us probably remember the initial one most vividly, seeing as how we got whooped in Death Valley for the first time many of us could remember). The Hokies will not be as strong as they were last season, but this would be our toughest challenge of the year aside from visiting Papa Bowden's place. I'm not counting on a win here, but believe this could be a good matchup for us.
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