This gnome has been paying very little attention to the hoopla of pre-season polls. However I am aware — and alarmed — that we seem to be consensus top-25, if not top-10 picks. It’s frightening. Fortunately, we can all relax because I found a list that doesn’t include Bowden, none of the Bowdens actually.

Via Rivals’ Fanblogs, the Rivals 2008 Football Power Rankings: Football Head Coach category:

1. Pete Carroll (USC)
2. Jim Tressel (Ohio St.)
3. Urban Meyer (Florida)
4. Les Miles (LSU)
5. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma)
6. Mark Richt (UGA)
7. Frank Beamer (VT)
8. Jim Grobe (Wake)
9. Tommy Tuberville (Auburn)
10. Mack Brown (Texas)
11. Dennis Erickson (ASU)
12. Steve Spurrier (USCe)
13. Nick Saban (’Bama)
14. Mark Mangino (Kansas)
15. Rich Rodriguez (Michigan)
16. Gary Pinkel (Missouri)
17. Bronco Mendenhall (BYU)
18. Brian Kelly (Cincinnati)
19. Jeff Tedford (Cal)
20. Mike Riley (Oregon State)
21. Jim Leavitt (South Florida)
22. Mike Bellotti (Oregon)
23. Mike Leach (Texas Tech)
24. Pat Hill (Fresno State)
25. Bobby Petrino (Arkansas)

With it we get some commentary from Fanblogs like:

- How do you put Steve Spurrier at #12? Can you name a game last year where Spurrier’s coaching *won* a game for South Carolina? Oh, well there was that one. But still… this *seems* like a legacy ranking.

- Is it just me… or is this a very West Coast heavy list? Pat Hill?????

I’m sure we all agree about the Spurrier issue. But West Coast heavy? I mean, 7 out of 25 sure seems like a lot, but considering that all the Bowdens are on the East Coast, I think it makes sense. Besides, the number of West Coast teams does not exceed the number of SEC teams (7), so I think we’re ok.

And maybe we should go ahead and agree right now, that if the team does well this year, it is despite, and not because of, HC Tommy Bowden.

It’s like a bad dream while listing to Bob Seger’s song “Turn The Page”. Here Clemson is again, getting rolled up in national media attention about how we are going to be a top ten team in 2008. I for one would rather start out the season ranked somewhere around 60th then come in and kick some chicken all season long. I have to admit, Harper, Spiller, Davis and Kelly is an amazing one, two, three, four combo offensive punch, but what is the typical routine we are all used to. Yep, we’re going to be the best in the ACC, only to lose a game by one point which could have meant a possible BCS Bowl birth. Hopefully disaster will not come knocking in a few months, then again, I think I’ve said that before too.

Last week Plyler wrote a gushing post about the football team’s coaching staff and their success in recruiting. Certainly the rankings of the recent classes have been good. And his post was spurred by the recent commitment of Craig Loston, who lives in Texas. Plyler writes, amongst other things, “[o]ne of the ways this staff has been able to become so successful is they have identified prospects very early in their high school careers… Clemson has been able to beat many schools to the punch,” and “[t]his staff has decided to take a backseat to no one.”

I definitely don’t follow recruiting much. Part of it is a lack of time. Nonetheless, Plyler’s words certainly made it seem as if our coaching staff is becoming a nationwide force in recruiting. Unless they’re breaking the rules in the process, this certainly sounds like good and comforting news.

Unfortunately, today’s news makes things sound a bit less exciting. Per the Post & Courier

Loston actually initiated the contact with Clemson by sending them film. “They didn’t know anything about me, and I put myself out there to them,” he said. “I like the way they play, I like their style and I think I would fit in well with their defense.”

Another reason I don’t follow recruiting very much is that it is mostly rumor and speculation.

Nonetheless, congratulations to the coaching staff for paying attention and not screwing up when a 5-star recruited himself.

I woke up this morning with great anticipation of the start of the coming day and the following day to come. My wife and I headed to Atlanta via Alabama, after visiting her family for a few days. As I am sure the Clemson side of Atlanta is all abuzz with Peach Bowl fever, I can assure all you Clemson Fans, I-20 was full of AU stickers on nearly every car it seemed. It appeared they were traveling well. Upon arrival in Atlanta we headed straight for a huge tourist destination… The Georgia Aquarium. I thought Auburn was traveling well, all indications pointed to what I thought was a Clemson home game back in Death Valley. Orange is everywhere down in the ATL, and it is a wonderful sight. Thousands of people were visiting the aquarium today and no one had a single vantage point the entire day, in every direction without viewing a Clemson hat, shirt, jacket. While viewing one of the exhibits we could hear off in the distance, in the main atrium, a Cadence Count being chanted… It was a great moment to be a Tiger. My wife’s brother standing next to me, who just so happens to be at Auburn’s Pharmacy School, turned to me with a look of disbelief on how much pride Clemson has in our school, as he too heard the Cadence Count in the distance. He even expressed his disappointment in the obvious ten Clemson fans to every one Auburn fan seen since we arrived in Atlanta. As we finished the day at the aquarium at the final exhibit, we turned the corner and we were amazed to see The Tiger and The Tiger Cub making their rounds among the crowd of hundreds, it is now a favorite Clemson moment of mine. Rest assured everyone, Atlanta is full of Orange, Clemson Orange, and we are representing all that is Clemson tradition in a wonderful way. We are lucky to be playing in such a great bowl, with such a great team like Auburn, but currently in the school pride category, Clemson is taking home those top honors it seems. GO TIGERS!

Though I have been living in the Charlotte area for 6 football seasons, I have yet to even pretend to read the Charlotte Observer. Personally it’s more than a bit liberal for my tastes, and somewhat understandably (many of the writers are Chapel Hill alums) geared towards “Big 4″ school coverage anytime college news, sports or otherwise, is the topic. Anyway, about a week and a half ago I posted an article discussing the brief history of the ACC-CG and where I see it going. Now, I’m pretty much a hack writer at best but if I didn’t know any better I would say they needed an article to preceed today’s announcement, jumped online, read our comments, threw in a couple official stats to back it upon and sent it to the presses. No additional insight or reasoning, just print block to fill space between adds. The article pretty much reinforces the whole reason I don’t take the local paper. Even when something worth reading is in there, it’s late enough I would have already found the info to start with. In The Observer’s defense, they quickly posted the news that Charlotte will be hosting in 2010 and 11. Tampa (shocker) was awarded the game for the next two seasons, as much because of current Charlotte Center City development that should be complete by 2010 that should act as a large attraction to fans, coupled with a large conference in 08 that should have Center City already booked up for the normal CG weekend.

Now ESPN let’s you have one. I ran the ESPN power 16 and the BCS top 16, both of which had the Tigers as a 15 or so seed. We beat the 2 seed Buckeyes in one as well as my self seeded bracket, which didn’t vary too much from the ESPN or BCS seedings, keeping Clemson at 15 and some tweaks through teh mid part of the top ten primarily. The best part was our matchups in my self seed let us play a number 6 WVU squad after OSU, and move on, all the way to the championship against Kansas, my 8 seed, before losing. I don’t know what the logic on this is as it projects “percentages” but allows for the upset as well. If nothing else, it’s fun and gives us something college football related to play with for another week.

Clemson makes it’s voice heard and jumps BC to take the #2 ACC Bowl game. Thanks TigerNation, it’s because of our travelling brood that the bowls always have a second guess on their minds when Clemson is an option.

Or the year of the underdogs. What a year in college football. #’s 1 and 2 have never been so unstable that in the end, who knows who could be at the championship game. All year long no one wanted to be #2 as they lost weekly. App State took down Michigan, Stanford took down USC, underdogs ruled the year and egos trampled those who came into the games with them. Clemson’s arch rival walked its way to #6 then couldn’t remember how to win. Kansas and the Big12 really didn’t have much competition outside their own ranks and made it up into the top 5 and even had Mizzou at #1. Hawaii, the lone unbeaten team, is sitting in a corner crying about their shot at the neational championship chances, but you have no point when you play cupcake seasons. I believe that this season, beyond all seasons emphasizes the need for not only a playoff system but also a greater effort for teams to only take a few cupcake games a year instead of packing the OOC’s with them to buffer the W’s.

In the end it looks like Ohio State (my bloodline school) will back it’s way into the championship while the other slot looks destined for LSU as it had the best season of the teams that remained from the losses that found Mizzou and WVU shaking their heads. I had a great weekend rooting for teams to lose, and each did to get my teams where they needed to be. I personally will get some satisfaction in watching a certain WVU fan that left some USC/Clemson stuff on my desk before that game occurred. I will not say anything but will have fun watching the ribbing that he will receive from the others.

With BC’s loss to Virginia Tech, Clemson looks to be Chick-Fil-A bound and it may be a Tiger Bowl as they may face Auburn. That should be a great crowd and a great payoff for Clemson this season.

That was a great season. College football, what a great sport.