Clemson Tigers
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.
The Perfect Playoff System
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start by saying that I have absolutely no issue with Alabama receiving the fourth and final spot in the College Football Playoffs.
It’s not so much because I think the Tide deserve to be in the playoffs, but rather because of this lesson I learned at the age of 14; if you don’t want to be left out of something then don’t give them a reason to leave you out.
In this instance, both Alabama and Ohio State gave the committee reasons not to be chosen as that fourth team. Because of that I would’ve been fine with either of those teams making in.
The issue I have isn’t with who made the playoffs, it’s with the system itself. And no, I’m not listening to the Danny Kanell “Everybody is sucking at the SEC teet” greatest hits that he brings out this time of year.
Most everyone was pleased to get rid of the BCS because it didn’t allow for any subjectivity, so now we have a process that is almost completely subjective.
The guidelines with which the committee follows are reminiscent of a Jackson Pollack painting, they just throw whatever criteria they decide to use that particular season and voilà, by the end of the year they have four teams and a playoff.
One of the things I hate the most is that only the Power 5 conferences truly have a shot at making the playoffs. I have no idea how Central Florida would contend with Clemson in a opening round game, but I’m sure nobody gave the Coastal Carolina baseball team a second thought last year, until they won the College World Series.
And please don’t tell me teams like UCF need to schedule better out of conference games either. Did you not hear the all knowing and powerful Nick Saban talk about P5 schools only playing other P5 schools? No legit playoff contender wants to schedule someone like the Knights; if you win you were supposed to; if you lose it could all but end your playoff hopes.
There’s just something wrong with a competition that basically excludes half of participants before it even begins.
They also need to figure out something with conference championships, too. As I mentioned, under the current rules I have no issue with Alabama being in the playoffs.
However, those rules are stupid if a team that didn’t even participate in their conference title game, makes it the final four.
Notice I’m not talking about a team that loses in their conference title game, but rather a team that doesn’t even get there. The fact it’s happened two years in a row makes me trust this process about as much as I’d trust a male politician at a high school prom.
The solution is simple, if you don’t make it to the conference title game you don’t make it to the college football playoffs. I know that can be harsh when you’re looking at a team like Alabama this year, who’s only lost happens to be within the conference, but timing is everything.
You think Georgia’s in the playoffs if they win that first meeting with Auburn, but lose by 23 in the rematch? Possibly, but I doubt it.
Of course, I’ll end up watching all three of the games, which is exactly what the NCAA is counting on. So, they win yet again and it’s likely nothing will change.
Sorry UCF, I really did try my best.
Who’s In….Over Georgia?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At this point in the season it is almost a foregone conclusion that Alabama and Georgia will meet up not only for the SEC Championship title game, but will enter that game as the first and second ranked teams in college football.
If that scenario were to play out obviously the winner would make it to the playoffs. The more interesting topic to me is would a 1-loss SEC runner-up make it too?
There are probably about 20 different hypothetical outcomes, but for this purpose I’ll go ahead and put Oklahoma in the playoffs (wins out including Big XII championship) and Alabama. (No disrespect to Georgia who could easily win the SEC, but it’s easier to go over scenarios for one SEC team as opposed to two, and as of today I personally think Alabama is the better team).
So, with two teams already in the playoff picture, who are some of the other teams Georgia would be contending with.
Wisconsin– It would be hard on paper to leave out an undefeated Big Ten champion, if that’s what ends up happening. However, I don’t think the Badgers are very good and their best win will be against,ultimately, a 3 loss Ohio State team.
Regardless of what the committee does, you can’t convince me they are better than Georgia.
Clemson– If the Tigers were to win out and take the ACC crown, they’re in no matter what. Defending champs, conference champs, impressive resumé, only 1 loss; there’s no way the committee will keep them out.
Another loss though, and I don’t see how they make it.
Miami- I haven’t thought all that much of the Hurricanes throughout the season, but if they were to win out that would include victories over Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and Clemson.
Hard to put Georgia in over Miami if that were take place. (On a side note, if Miami made it in over Georgia what’s the over/under on the amount time elapsed before a video of Mark Richt urinating in a stuffed Uga goes viral?)
Notre Dame- The Fighting Irish are really the wild card here.
If they were to win out, it would include a victory over Miami, essentially knocking out the Hurricanes.
It would also leave them tied with Georgia, leading to the question, “What do you value more, head to head or overall strength of schedule?”
If you’re a Bulldog fan, you’re going to say head to head, as you should. If you’re a Notre Dame fan, it’s overall strength of schedule. And while it’s not completely an apples to apples comparison, it is worth mentioning that last year, when it came down to OSU and PSU, the commute went in favor of Ohio State’s overall schedule instead of Penn State’s victory over the Buckeyes.
As I mentioned above there are plenty of other scenarios that could play out over the next few makes, making what I just wrote entirely obsolete.
Regardless, here’s the point I’m trying to make: In the last few years, you could argue that a one loss, SEC runner up was deserving of making the playoffs because of the conference’s overall strength.
Ironically, the one year it may come to fruition, the one year where the two best teams in college football could possibly reside within the SEC, is the one year that the conference’s lack of overall strength may be what keeps it from happening.
Clemson: Best Team In College Football?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After the first few weeks of the college football season some questions have already been answered. We’re beginning to separate the contenders from the pretenders. One of the teams that has surprised me is Clemson. I think the Tigers might be the best team in the nation.
We’re aware that they’ve played against Alabama in the national championship game the previous two years. They came very close in 2015 but they found redemption and won it all in 2016.
Clemson Tigers Preview
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In the 36 years that have passed between Clemson’s first National Title in 1981 and their second this past season, only two teams- ‘95 Nebraska Cornhuskers and ‘12 Alabama Crimson Tide- have been able to repeat as National Champions.
ACC Is Better Than SEC
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start by saying I picked North Carolina to cut down the nets this past Monday night and I have the SSE article from a couple of weeks ago to prove it.
I have been mulling this article over on my mind for a few weeks now. Folks that know me know that I am a die-hard SEC supporter and I make no bones about it.
So, take notice when I type this this next sentence. The ACC is better right now than the SEC. Yes, I said it. Now that I have that out of the way here is why.
What’s Next For Bama and Clemson?
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
What a game, right? Clemson came from behind twice in the fourth quarter to take down the Giant Alabama, 35-31.
Whether you like Alabama or not, the truth of the matter is the last two touchdowns passes for Clemson were illegal rub routs that were not flagged. That is not to say Clemson still would not have scored if they had been called by the officials, but we will never know. Nor, is that taking away from the amazing game the Tigers played.
The difference was, of course, Deshaun Watson. Watson threw for over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. For those of us that have followed Watson his entire career we should have seen that final drive coming.
When Watson was a senior at Gainesville he eclipsed record after record in the state of Georgia for the Red Elephants. Watson and Gainesville found themselves in the GHSA State Finals in the Georgia Dome against the Ware County Gators and what was then, the best defense in the state.
Most said Ware would shut down Watson and that he had never seen a defense as fast or as physical as what the Gators put on the field that season. Ware was led by two amazing linebackers that season, Xavier Tobler and Dedrick Mills. Tobler is now at Georgia Southern and Mills at Georgia Tech.
None of that would matter as Watson carved up that vaunted Ware defense en route to a 49-13 woodshedding of the Gators and State Title.
So, what is next for both programs? Obviously, Watson will head on to the NFL and will likely not only be the first QB taken but probably the first pick overall.
If Clemson is going to stay at the elite level and build a juggernaught as Bama has they will have to reload at QB.
On the other side, Alabama will lose a good bit on defense but they have shown us the program is littered with 5-star talent up and down the roster and will not skip a beat.
That coupled with Jalen Hurts only being a freshman the Crimson Tide program will continue to dominate the SEC west and likely the SEC.
Bama may start getting a challenge out of Athens in the next few years as Georgia looks to be in good shape to make huge strides in where the program is.
Dabo A Difference Maker?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As sports fans we spend an inordinate amount of time coming up with reasons why an opposing player or team is overrated- why they are not worthy of the accolades they receive.
I was never a big fan of Shaquille O’Neal and would argue how he wasn’t really all that talented, just big. My go to argument, besides his free throws, was how he never really hit a shot outside of 5 feet.
Of course, I completely ignored the fact that if you’re that big and dominant in the paint, who cares if you can hit a 15 footer. It’s like knocking someone for constantly getting to the rim for a lay up because it’s easier than hitting a jump shot.
Just like I finally came around to acknowledge Shaq’s skills, it’s time I do the same with Dabo Swinney and where he ranks among current college football coaches.
For some reason I’ve never been a fan of Swinney’s. I’m not sure if it’s his demeanor and the fact he sometimes comes across as being aloof? Or maybe Clemson always seems to underachieve, to the point where the term “Clemsoning” has become a legitimate thing. I’m sure it’s mixture of both of those, along with others I’m not cognizant of, but either way Swinney deserves more credit than I’ve given him.
If you had asked me last season why Clemson made the championship game, Swinney’s name would’ve probably been down on that list. This year is different. Maybe I’m being a little gullible here, but to be able to make it back to the title game for the second year in a row, when those are actually the expectations, is extremely impressive.
On the surface their return trip may not seem all that difficult. Clemson had a lot of returning talent from last year’s team- especially on the offensive side of the ball- and they play in the ACC, which isn’t exactly a who’s who of football royalty. To believe that though would diminish what the Tigers have accomplished.
For one, just because you’re returning that level of talent doesn’t automatically guarantee success. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone outside of Tuscaloosa that didn’t think Ohio State wasn’t the most talented team last year. Yet, where were they when playoff time arrived?
Plus, Clemson lost some big name players on the defensive side of ball, much like the year before, that they’ve been able to overcome. I once heard someone say “I don’t care how knowledgeable a maintenance man is, I just want to make sure he knows who to call when he can’t figure something out.”
It’s a weird comparison, I know, but a head coach is very much in that same vein. I don’t necessarily care how they are when it comes to X’s and O’s, just so long as they bring people with them who do. Swinney checks that box.
As for the ACC part, you could argue that it was the second or third strongest conference in football this season, which just adds to the difficulty in Clemson making it back to tonight’s game.
Swinney doesn’t bring in top 5 recruiting classes every year and he’s not looked at in the same way as a lot of the big time coaches in the country are. Getting that elusive championship ring, with a victory over this year’s Alabama team, would go a long way in helping Swinney get the recognition he probably deserves.
Even I would have a hard time arguing against that.
National Championship Preview – Alabama vs Clemson
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In my 2016 Clemson preview I predicted the Clemson Tigers to go 15-0 and win the National Championship. I said this would be the best Clemson team I have ever seen. I still stand by that. I messed up and did not see the Pitt loss late in the season so the Tigers stand at 13-1 after a 31-0 thrashing of another overrated Big 10 playoff team called the Ohio State Buckeyes; who the national media anointed as the championship game opponent for Alabama.
Why is Clemson an elite program right now? It starts with Deshaun Watson who should have won the Heisman Trophy. The Heisman has lost its luster to me anyway so no big deal if you watched the Heisman winner against LSU in his bowl game.
The Clemson offense is the best in all of college football. Watson is the trigger man who torched an awesome Alabama defense in the title game just one year ago. And coming off a torching of a highly touted OSU defense.
Watson is primed again to have a big night against an Alabama defense that has an awesome front seven but to me not as good in the back of that defense as they were in 2015.
Then you have the gold standard of college football and they are the Alabama Crimson Tide with Nick Saban, who is the best coach in all of football. Yes, I said all of football.
Jalen Hurts has taken the country by storm in 2015 and Bo Scarborough looks like another future NFL running back. That defense has 50 sacks and I love the way Reuben Foster attacks a ball carrier.
Alabama played around with Washington even with Lane Kiffin calling a silly offensive game plan. Kiffin finally got on Saban’s last nerve and was relieved of his duties after that game. Now Steve Sarkisian is front and center and if the Tide gets beat you can probably expect the media to toss Sark under the proverbial bus.
I expect this game to turn into another shootout like last year. Jonathan Allen and the Tide defense is a special unit, but when you look at the fire power on Clemson’s offense you see Watson, Gallman, and Williams who missed the championship game last year you wonder if a NFL defense could stop this offense.
I think both teams come out and light each other up all night long on offense. The storylines leading up the game will be:
Nick Saban and his quest to tie Bear Bryant with six national titles in the poll era. The sudden Lane Kiffin departure. Can Watson lead Clemson to the title? The great Clemson Offense vs the great Alabama Defense. The media discussing whether the playoff selection format needs to be tweaked.
I may get hammered for saying this being the SEC loyalist that I am, but I think from top to bottom the ACC has been the best conference in America this year.
Outside of Alabama the SEC has been down. Alabama hung 54 on Florida in the SEC Title game, Auburn and UGA with 5 defeats, Tennessee the preseason media darling with 4 losses, LSU fired Les Miles and went 8-4.
Alabama is Alabama but is the SEC as good as it has been?
I think Clemson wins this football game 38-35. Alabama’s old nemesis rears its ugly head and that is field goal kicking as the Tide misses one from about 40 yards to send it to overtime.
Clemson is your 2016 National Champion, and Deshaun Watson goes down as the greatest player in Clemson football history regardless of the outcome.
College Football Playoff Predictions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is time again for the college football playoff and this year’s games I think will be pretty good.
Let’s start with the teams.
1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide are in my opinion are a professional team playing at the college level. I really think the Tide could give The Cleveland Browns all they could handle. Jalen Hurts is an amazing dual threat QB. I can’t believe it took Nick Saban most of fall camp to name him the starter for 2016. Saban is the best coach in football and Alabama is the favorite to win the playoff.
2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes led by Urban Meyer have been a dynasty for years now. They won a classic against Michigan to get into the playoff. The loss to Penn State cost Ohio State a shot at the Big 10 Championship, but the committee put them in despite that. It is all about money folks. OSU produces mega bucks and TV Ratings.
3. Clemson: The Tigers are back for the second year in a row with a QB that should have won the Heisman. This offense can put up yards and points like a pinball machine. Can Clemson muster up enough defense to win it all this year?
4. Washington: The Huskies lead by QB Jake Browning have been very impressive this year. I like this team and think they deserve to be here. We on the east coast will be shocked when we see how good these Huskies are.
Predictions:
Alabama vs Washington in The Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Washington will fly across country to meet the Tide in Atlanta; a place Alabama has spent a lot of time in over the past decade. Alabama has a monster defense with first round picks everywhere, and Washington has a really good offense that can put up points. The difference in this game will be Jalen Hurts and the Tide offense. The Huskies will test Alabama but in the end Alabama rolls 35-24. Bama has too many weapons.
Ohio State vs Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Both fan bases have travel a good distance to get here. I am actually looking forward to watching this game.
Ohio State averages 480 yards (21st-best in FBS) and 42.7 points (ninth-best in FBS) per game. Clemson averages 506 yards (13th-best in FBS) and 40.2 points (15th-best in FBS) per game. The Tigers’ specialty is the passing game (332.6 yards per game) while the Buckeyes are better at running the ball (258.3 yards per game).
On defense, Ohio State is fifth in the country, allowing opponents just 282 yards per game to go with just 14.2 points per game (third in FBS). Clemson finished ninth in the FBS in yards allowed (314 per game) and 12th in points allowed per game (18.4)
When it is all said and done I would take Deshaun Watson over any player in the country and think Clemson is a team of destiny. I did pick this team to win it all in the preseason and I think the Tigers get past Ohio State 38-28.
This will set up a huge rematch with Alabama.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
