Wake Up Call? |
Signs are starting to show that no one, outside of Clemson fans, remembers the four game stretch that closed the season.
In my opinion the timing could not be better. The players are scheduled to report on August 5, and now the coaches have something to get their attention early. Now granted, I am no gambling expert, but I saw only three games on the schedule where the Tigers would be underdogs and none as double digit dogs. Now the early lines in vegas are showing the Tigers double digit underdogs to Miami and Florida State. Those two lines maybe a stretch, but not complete unforeseeable. Being a four point underdog at Virginia on a Thursday night is probably about right for the time being. The kicker maybe that the Tigers are underdogs at Texas A&M. The Tigers closed the season with two wins over top 10 teams, while A&M was 4-8 and missed a bowl for the second consecutive season. Also, one's web-site's reporter forgot to put Clemson in one of his Top 25 polls. After the Tennessee game, many fans expressed caution that they hoped the team did not feel as if they had "arrived". While reports from spring and off-season workouts have shown no signs, this is the added motivation the team may have needed to get off to a great start. The No. 16 ranking in the coaches poll is a fraction of respect the Tigers deserve, but everyone knows that is still not where you need to be. After the Peach Bowl, some people who had way too much time on their hands did a poll that had the Tigers as high as No. 10. I think the Tigers are in a great position where they are. It was this time last year that another Tigers team was sitting at No. 15, and I think you could say they had a good season.
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