Clemson Tigers

Numbers Don’t Lie

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

I was listening recently and don’t ask me why I was tuned in to a regional radio show that suggested that the ACC was the best football conference in the country due to Clemson’s recent success on the gridiron.

These types of things interest me because I know the SEC is the king in football, so I looked up the stats to confirm what I already know. Here goes:

P5 Conference Bowl Records (All-Time)

SEC: 261-195-9 (.571)

ACC: 132-140-2 (.485)

BIG 12: 84-88-0 (.488)

B1G: 143-163-1 (.467)

PAC 12: 149-136-5 (.522)

The PAC 12 is the only other “Power 5” conference with a winning bowl record.

 

SEC All-Time vs. Other Conferences (current conferences)

SEC vs:

ACC: 319-171-10 (.648)

AAC: 19-8-0 (.704)

B1G: 96-65-2 (.595)

BIG 12: 98-79-6 (.552)

CUSA: 158-28 (.849)

MAC: 98-14 (.875)

Mountain West: 25-11 (.694)

PAC 12: 74-43-5 (.627)

Sun Belt: 154-11 (.933) –

 

Random tidbits:

SEC TEAMS VS. ACC

W     L     T   Win %    PFPG    PAPG

Alabama       26     5     0    83.9    28.3    13.3

Arkansas         0     2     0     0.0    17.0    27.5

Auburn         34    12     0    73.9    26.5    16.6

Florida          33    26     2    55.7    24.3    19.6

Georgia        77    27     5    72.9    25.4    17.1

Kentucky      15    15     1    50.0    19.5    18.5

LSU                24     2     0    92.3    28.5    10.8

Mississippi      1     4     0    20.0    18.0    31.4

Mississippi St  6     7     0    46.2    24.5    28.2

South Carolina 18    23     0    43.9    20.7    24.4

Tennessee             36    15     1    70.2    24.7    15.8

Texas A&M              2     4     0    33.3    35.5    32.5

Vanderbilt            31    25     0    55.4    21.4    21.3

 

Clemson is by far the best football program in the ACC currently, but their all-time record against the SEC is 56-99-5, and 6-9 in bowl games.

 

CLEMSON VS. SEC TEAMS

W     L     T   Win %    PFPG    PAPG

Alabama         2    11     0    15.4    13.2    31.5

Auburn            9    17     1    35.2    16.3    22.6

Florida             2     2     1    50.0    14.8    22.2

Georgia           9    28     2    25.6    12.8    22.8

Kentucky         5     6     0    45.5    13.7    13.0

LSU                   1     3     0    25.0    14.3    20.8

Mississippi       0     1     0     0.0     0.0    13.0

Mississippi St   1     1     1    50.0    11.7    10.3

South Carolina 18    10     0    64.3    28.0    21.2

Tennessee          1     4     0    20.0    17.6    22.0

Texas A&M         2     0     0   100.0    26.0    18.0

Vanderbilt           1     1     0    50.0    16.0    14.5

 

Note: Clemson is 18-42-4 all-time against Georgia but for this story only games against SEC are counted.

SEC was formed in 1933. Florida State is the only ACC team with a winning record against the SEC.

FSU has a losing all-time record against SEC teams, but a winning record against the SEC since they joined the ACC in the 1990’s.

 

SEC Bowl Records vs. P5 Opponents

The SEC is 47-29 (.618) against the ACC in bowl games.

The SEC is 57-32 (.640) against the B1G in bowl games.

The SEC is 46-36-1 (.560) against the BIG 12 in bowl games.

The SEC is 9-7-1 (.559) against the PAC 12 in bowl games.

 

Clemson does have a winning record against the SEC over the last decade thanks to their current ownership of South Carolina.

There you have it folks, proof in numbers that the SEC is the most dominant football conference in the country.

I respect the ACC as a football conference, but FSU, Miami and Virginia Tech need give the Tigers some help at the top.

LSU is the current king of College Football and flat out owns the ACC.

Clemson is probably the best overall program right now, but the SEC is the most powerful conference because the numbers don’t lie.

Down To Two

By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The first round of the College Football Playoff was played this past weekend. Let’s take a look and recap what happened.

No. 1 LSU and No. 4 Oklahoma played the first game, The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Ga.

The Tigers (14-0) demolished OU (12-2), 63 – 28. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow was spectacular, passing for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran for a TD.

“We go into every game thinking nobody can stop us,” Burrow said.

LSU scored 49 points in the first half. Justin Jefferson scored all four of his touchdowns in the first half and finished with 14 catches for 227 yards.

Tight end Thaddeus Moss, son of Hall of Famer Randy Moss, had 99 receiving yards and a touchdown.

LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger learned shortly before kickoff that his daughter-in-law, broadcaster Carley McCord, was among five people killed in a plane crash in Louisiana. The small plane went down shortly after takeoff for what was supposed to be a flight to Atlanta for the game.

Head coach Ed Orgeron delivered the news to Ensminger, who was seen with tears running down his cheeks but stuck to the task at hand.

“What a tremendous, tremendous LSU Tiger,” Orgeron said after the game. “He called a great game tonight.” Coach O gave him the game ball.

No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson was a battle of two unbeaten teams. The Playstation Fiesta Bowl was played in Glendale, Arizona. Clemson won a close game, 29 – 23.

I’m not sure how the defending champion Tigers are being overlooked but they feel disrespected by it.

The Buckeyes (13-1) jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first half. They responded to a Clemson rally to retake the lead 23-21 in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers (14-0) needed four plays and 1:18, with Lawrence completing all three of his passes and mixing in an 11-yard run. The sophomore quarterback, who has never lost a college start, passed for 259 yards and two scores. He also ran for a career-high 107 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown late in the first half.

OSU drove the ball to the Clemson 23-yard line, but Justin Fields was intercepted by Nolan Turner with 37 seconds left.

“Everybody kept saying we didn’t play nobody, that we blow out teams. Tonight showed what we can do,” Clemson receiver Tee Higgins said. “We showed everybody we got fight in us.”

The Buckeyes played well on offense. Fields threw for 320 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. J.K. Dobbins ran for 174 yards and a touchdown.

“I told Ryan, that Ohio State team, what an unbelievable game, their quarterback, their back, those guys played their hearts out,” Swinney said. “But in the end, our guys showed what they’re made of. They’ve got the heart of a champion; they’ve got the eye of a tiger.”

The semifinals played out the way I expected. The best two teams won and they will play the national championship game in New Orleans January 13.

This is basically a home game for LSU but don’t count Clemson out.

Play It Off

By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

We are in the sixth year of the College Football Playoff.

The top four teams have been picked and I think this is the first year where the committee had an easy decision selecting all of the teams. We are going to preview the playoff games.

Both games will be played December 28. No. 1 LSU (13–0) versus No 4. Oklahoma (12–1) in the Peach Bowl.

The Tigers return to Atlanta after trouncing No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship. LSU is led by the clear Heisman Trophy front-runner Joe Burrow.

Burrow is the best quarterback I’ve seen at LSU in the past 25 years. This program is notorious for having poor QB play, so they are really enjoying this because I do not think they will be in this position again anytime soon.

Burrow has thrown for over 4,700 yards, 48 touchdowns, 6 interceptions with a 93.7 QBR (2nd).

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has 50 receptions for 400 yards so he makes plays all over the field.

Receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase both have over 1,200 receiving yards with double digit TD’s.

The Tigers are ranked 32nd nationally in total defense.

This is Oklahoma’s third straight playoff appearance and they are looking for their first win.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts transferred from Alabama, so he’s played against LSU the last three seasons. He won’t be intimidated and their defense is not as good as they previously were.

Hurts is the epitome of a dual threat, passing for over 3,600 yards, 32 touchdowns, 7 picks and a QBR of 90.6 (4th). Hurts also ran for more than 1,200 yards, 18 TD’s and he averages 5.7 yards per carry.

CeeDee Lamb is his top target and big play threat. OU is 24th in total defense.

This game should be high scoring and both offenses should play well. Hurts has a bad habit of turning the ball over and I don’t see this game being any different. That will help LSU win by double digits.

No. 2 Ohio State (13–0) plays No. 3 Clemson (13–0) in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Az.

Both teams are led by highly recruited quarterbacks from Georgia. They were also finalists in the 2017 Elite 11 with Justin Fields finishing first and Trevor Lawrence finishing second.

Fields has thrown for almost 3,000 yards, 40 TD’s, 1 interception and his QBR is 92.4 (3rd). I must admit I’ve been labeled an ‘OSU hater’ by a friend of mine because I give an honest opinion of Fields and last year Dwayne Haskins.

I watch the Buckeyes regularly and notice that quarterbacks typically throw short passes like slants, screens and crossing routes. The receivers get massive yards after catch, which makes the QB’s stats look good.

Running back J.K. Dobbins has rushed for over 1,800 yards, 20 TD’s and he averages 6.5 ypc. The defense ranks second in total D.

Clemson is the defending national champion and they have been disrespected all year. Lawrence played poorly for the first month of the season with several multiple interception games. He finished the year with 8 picks but he improved.

Receiver Tee Higgins and running back Travis Etienne are going to be first round picks in this year’s draft. The Tigers defense is the best in the nation in total defense.

This should be a close game but Clemson will win. The Tigers of LSU and Clemson will meet in the national championship.

Atlantic Waves

By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Let’s take a look at the ACC Atlantic division and predict how the teams will finish this season.

Clemson: The last time we saw the Tigers they manhandled Alabama in the national championship.

They finished the year 15-0 and I expect 2019 to be more of the same. Clemson is by far the most talented team in the conference and it’s not even close. They remind me of Florida State in the 90’s when they ran through the ACC.

They have one tough game at home Week 2 against Texas A&M. That was a close game last season but it was on the road in a hostile environment. Trevor Lawrence is a Heisman frontrunner and he should win it. They will go undefeated again.

Syracuse: The Orange went 10-3 in 2018, which was a big surprise. We will see if they can sustain that success in 2019. They have 7 starters returning on defense and quarterback Tommy DeVito is a rising star. They play Clemson at home September 14th and that will be the biggest ACC game of the year.

They have had some success against Clemson recently, so I think that will be a close game. The ‘Cuse should win 9 games.

Florida State: The Seminoles are the gold standard for a dynasty in the modern ACC era.

Former head coach Jimbo Fisher had a ton of success but they did not play well in his final 2017 season. He was replaced with Willie Taggart and so far, it looks like a bad hire.

In his lone season in Oregon, the Ducks were 7-5. After he left, they were 9-4. FSU was 7-6 in 2017 and they slipped to 5-7 under Taggart.

The ‘Gulf Coast’ offense he brought to Tallahassee was terrible. Tailback Cam Akers is really the only bright spot for the team and he’s hoping to have a bounce back year. He rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman in 2017 but last year only had 706 yards. I think they can win 7 games.

NC State: The good news is the Wolfpack have 8 starters returning on defense. The bad news is on the other side of the ball.

Offensive coordinator and QB coach Eli Drinkwitz left to become the head coach at Appalachian State. They also lost three starters from a standout offensive line, two 1,000-yard receivers and quarterback Ryan Finley. All of those weapons led them to a 9-4 record and they were 6-2 in the ACC.

I expect them to take a step back because they have so much to replace on offense. They should win 7 games.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were 7-6 last year, which is very good for this program.

An interesting fact is they have two players from the show QB 1 Beyond the Lights, Tayvon Bowers and Sam Hartman.

Hartman played well as a true freshman, throwing for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns in 9 games. They have the opportunity to go to their fourth consecutive bowl game and that should happen. They will win 6 games.

Boston College: The Eagles were 7-5 in 2018. They relied heavily on quarterback Anthony Brown and running back AJ Dillon. Both of them return this season so expect more of the same. They are good enough to win at least 6 games.

Louisville: The Cardinals were terrible last year, which got Bobby Petrino fired.

He was replaced by Scott Satterfield who had the same position at Appalachian State.

This is the worst team in the conference so I think they will win 3 or 4 games.

Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch January 12

Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch January 12
/

 

Groundhog Day

By: JJ Lanier

GeorgiaSportsEdition.com news services

After four months, what has to be close to a thousand games, and countless hours of my life I’ll never get back listening to people complain about who made the college playoffs and how many teams should be included, we end the season right where most thought we would before it even started; Alabama and Clemson, battling it out for the national title. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I know there’s some fatigue going into tonight’s national championship game since this is the fourth year in a row both teams will have met in the playoffs, with three of those meetings for the national title. But as much as people like to compare it to the Golden State/Cleveland series, and their four straight matchups, this budding rivalry between the two premier programs in college football is much more compelling.

Throughout the season Alabama and Clemson have been the two best teams. There may have been a couple that could make an argument for a week or two, but nobody has consistently been as dominant as either of them.

It’s hard to see where the advantages are, too. Normally each team has a glaring weakness, if not two, the other team tries to exploit.

However, tonight it’s going to come down to scheme and execution. I know that’s not a very insightful analysis, but neither team really has any major deficiencies.

Both teams’ strength is their defense; they both have a strong running game that enables them to control the time of possession, as well as the ability to milk the clock when needed; and both have quarterbacks that more than lives up to the hype and are able to score points in a hurry.

As great a coach as Nick Saban is, it’s not like Dabo Swinney is the college version of Rich Kotite. Both coaches are great with in game adjustments and have obviously proven they aren’t afraid to make a gutsy decision with their season on the line.

As great as the play on the field promises to be, the mental matchup between these two might be even greater.

I think Alabama is the more talented squad, so if they play up to the level, they’re capable of I believe Saban will walk away with his seventh national championship. The Crimson Tide will have to play that well though, because Clemson isn’t too far behind.

The Tigers are deep and skilled at every position, and are not intimidated.

When it comes to titles games, whether it’s college or professional, all you can hope for is a well-played game that has some semblance of tension at the end.

I understand fans may feel like they’re living their own personal version of “Groundhog Day” and would love to see someone else in the title. It’s hard to root for either team when they’ve already gotten an embarrassment of riches. I mean, even during all those Warriors/Cavs series, there wasn’t much question as to who the superior team was.

With all due respect to teams like Georgia, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, these have been the two best teams all year and deserve to be in this game. As exciting as their first two games were this one has the potential to be just as good.

It may be a story we’ve all seen before, but it’s a hell of a good one.

Alabama 30, Clemson 24.

Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch December 8

Jason Bishop Show With Kipp Branch December 8
/

 

A League Of Their Own

By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

There are only a few games remaining in the college basketball regular season. At this point we know who the contenders and pretenders are.

The ACC has been the best conference for several years and this season is no different. Currently there are 10 teams that will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Things have played out differently than we initially expected before the season began though. Duke was the top ranked team in the preseason so expectations were very high. The Blue Devils always compete with Kentucky for the top recruiting class and they had a lot of incoming talent.

They landed the top recruit in the class of 2017, power forward Marvin Bagley. Point guard Trevon Duval also committed to Duke and he was ranked 6th nationally. Teaming these young stars up with senior Grayson Allen sounded like a slam-dunk.

Bagley is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder and he’s missed some games with a right knee sprain.

They are 22-5 and the No. 5 team in the country so they are having a pretty good season. The surprise is that Virginia is the best team in the conference and they have a three game lead over Duke.

The Cavaliers have only lost one conference game and their top ranked nationally. They have sustained success over the last five years so maybe we should have expected this.

North Carolina has been inconsistent this season. We know the Tar Heels are the defending national champions and they played in the championship game the past two years. They lost several players from that team so we expected some growing pains.

They lost to Wofford at home in December. In ACC play they had a three game losing streak to Virginia Tech, NC State and Clemson.

They ended the streak against a terrible Pitt team then beat Duke. The Heels are a good team but too inconsistent to advance far in the tournament.

The most shocking team is Clemson because their typically doormats in basketball. The Tigers are No. 15 in the nation and fourth in the ACC. They have not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. They are a legit team and they have a chance to win a couple of games once they get there.

Virginia Tech is also playing well. The Hokies are fifth in the ACC and have a winning record in conference play. After a 10-year absence from March Madness they made it in last season. This will make two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for a program that has only been nine times.

NC State is tied with Va Tech. The Wolfpack as a program have struggled with maintaining success. They beat Duke and North Carolina, which is a major accomplishment.

Louisville has performed well but they are on probation. I believe they have a post-season ban.

Two football schools, Miami and Florida State are both currently 19-8. These two programs have been very good over the last four years so maybe this should be expected at this point.

Syracuse is the final team that will make the tourney. They used to be an elite team in the Big East. After making the switch to the ACC they have been fairly disappointing.

The conference tournament will be very competitive. There is always the possibility of an unexpected team winning it.

NY6 Predictions

By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Break out the pork chops, black-eyed peas, fried okra, and cornbread which is the traditional New Year’s Day meal in the Branch Family.

The meal will be ready to eat at 12PM on Monday, which is also the best football day of every year.

You also have the College Football Playoff that starts at 5PM that day in Pasadena, California with Georgia and Oklahoma and ending with Alabama and Clemson immediately after in New Orleans.

Under the playoff format you have the two playoff games that rotate between the Sugar, Rose, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, and Peach Bowls annually; these are now called the New Years 6 Bowls.

Here are my predictions for the NY6 Bowls.

Cotton Bowl: #5 Ohio State vs. #8 USC

In this matchup you have two conference champions in OSU and USC that got snubbed by the playoff committee in favor of a one loss non-conference champion in Alabama.

Both teams will come to Dallas with a chip on it’s shoulder. I personally thought OSU would get in the playoff over Alabama if the committee was going to put a two loss Auburn team in the playoff. Which would have happened if the Tigers would have beat UGA in the SEC title game.

I think OSU has something to prove in this game and the Buckeyes handle USC pretty easy, 34-20 and Urban Meyer proposes a new playoff system in his postgame presser.

Fiesta Bowl: #9 Penn State vs. #11 Washington

Penn State might be the best team in the Big 10 after blowing the 15 point 4th quarter lead in Columbus against OSU and then sleepwalking into a loss to Michigan State the following week.

I think Penn State will be too physical for the Huskies and they will handle Washington 38-27. James Franklin is about to kick it into high gear in State College, PA.

Orange Bowl: #6 Wisconsin vs. #10 Miami

Former Glynn Academy standout Dee Jay Dallas is named Orange Bowl MVP after he scores 2 TD’s and has 140 yards rushing against the Badgers who will not beat Miami in Miami at the Orange Bowl. Too many athletes and Mark Richt owns Big 10 teams during his coaching career.

Peach Bowl: #7 Auburn vs. #12 UCF

Which Auburn team shows up? The one who beat UGA and Alabama in November or the one who blew a 20 point lead at LSU in October? Is Kerryon healthy? Does Auburn even want to be in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl?

I can guarantee you that UCF is thrilled to be there. If Auburn is motivated to play this game they win.

I think Auburn’s defense will be ready to play and the Tigers find a way to win 27-21. If Auburn comes out flat then look out for the upset, which I would be thrilled to see.

 

Rose Bowl: #2 Oklahoma vs. #3 Georgia

Oklahoma has the Heisman winner in Baker Mayfield at QB. UGA has the best defensive player in the country in Roquan Smith. What gives here?

For UGA to win they must control the clock and line of scrimmage with the running game and that will keep Mayfield on the sidelines.

The Sooners will score points but I think UGA gets enough stops and wins 38-34 and Nick Chubb is named Rose Bowl MVP with 175 yards and 3 TD’s, and will eventually have his #27 retired in Athens.

Sugar Bowl: #1 Clemson vs. #4 Alabama

Nick Saban lobbied to get the Tide in this year’s playoff and it is going to pay off.

Clemson’s DL is better than a couple of NFL teams and points in this game will be at a premium; so this one will come down to another heart stopping drive in the final minute with Jalen Hurts leading his team to victory 20-17 and being named Sugar Bowl MVP.

Georgia vs. Alabama in Atlanta for the NC on January 8th. Oh, my goodness what will the ticket prices be?

Sugar Bowl Preview

By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The ‘good’ bowl games have always happened on that day and with the College Football Playoff, it’s no different.

Number 1 Clemson takes on Number 4 Alabama in the prestigious Sugar Bowl. This is a rematch of the last two national championship games.

I’m on record as saying Clemson is the best team back in October. I still feel the Tigers are the most talented team in all of college football. I think they have the toughest matchup because Alabama is the second best team.

The Crimson Tide only have one loss on their resume, which happened in the final game of the season. Because of this, they fell out of the top four before the conference championship games. After the conference championships they moved back into the top four.

Clemson is the most complete team because their strong on both sides of the ball. They rank sixth nationally in total defense, giving up an average of 277.9 yards per game. They lead the nation in sacks with 44. They can also take the ball away because they have 14 interceptions and recovered 5 fumbles.

The Tigers rank 30th in total offense, averaging 448 ypg. My biggest surprise is that they were able to successfully replace Deshaun Watson.

Kelly Bryant is a better dual threat quarterback because he’s faster than Watson. Bryant has thrown for 2,678 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. He also ran for 646 yards and 11 TD’s.

They also have two backs (Travis Etienne & Tavien Feaster) that have rushed for over 650 yards each. They have three receivers with over 500 receiving yards apiece.

On paper Alabama is very impressive. They rank second nationally in total defense and 19th in total offense. There are a couple of noticeable differences from years past though.

They typically feature an elite running back like Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry or even Trent Richardson. A strong running game and stifling defense is the formula the Crimson Tide have utilized since Nick Saban took over as head coach.

Sophomore Jalen Hurts is a great athlete playing quarterback. He’s only thrown for 1,940 yards with a 61% completion rate. He does have 15 TD’s to 1 interception. He’s the second leading rusher on the team with 768 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. Damien Harris is the leading rusher with just 906 yards. That takes me back to Bama lacking a dominant running back.

The passing game also lacks the great playmakers we’ve become accustomed to like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper or O.J. Howard. Calvin Ridley is pretty good but he’s their only threat as a pass catcher.

He has 55 catches for 896 yards and 3 TD’s. The second leading receiver (Jerry Jeudy) has 13 receptions, 244 yards and only one less touchdown than Ridley.

The defense has been dealing with injuries, primarily outside linebackers Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis. Without them they have given up a lot of big plays. On the positive side they might be healthy by the time this game is played.

Clemson has the advantage because they have a dominant defense and Alabama only has a couple of weapons to stop. The winner of this game will win the championship so enjoy the game.