The Knee Jerk Preseason
As we all have done, we tend to look at our coming schedule and give a knee jerk reaction to what games our Tigers will rack up a “W”, which contests are in the maybe a “W” category and which slugfests will fall short and land in the hated “L” column. Every Tiger faithful goes through this ritual every year, so let’s break it down. I would like to bring up one point, everyone feels differently and we all have our own gut reactions to the coming season, this is my own and they are not the views of the rest of the gnomes.
Florida State
Bowden Bowl IX, I have to admit I look forward to this game every year. It seems the game has not been receiving the national attention of yesteryear but this season is different. Much is at stake, Labor Day game on a national stage and Bobby’s son, let’s be honest, is probably coaching for his job this year. Arguably this game will set the tone for the entire season for the Tigers. Reading the headlines it seems Clemson and FSU have closely paralleled each other in terms of QB positions/problems , FSU returns 8 starters, we of course have CJ and James. The ability of Harper’s arm and accuracy will be exposed very quickly. One thing I am certain of, a loud Death Valley at night will bring tears to my eyes. This will be a close one, advantage to Clemson due to the Valley.
Clemson 24-FSU 21
Louisiana Monroe
Umm, no disrespect, but the day Clemson loses to any team in the Sun Belt is the Day I never wear Orange again. Let’s call this what it is shall we. This won’t even be a game, it’s an opportunity to tailgate. On a side note, look for an appearance by Korn in the second half of the game.
Clemson 48-La. Mon. 10
Furman
A much more respectable game than the previous week, I have to admit, Furman always comes to play when they visit Death Valley. Furman is a strong team year in and year out in I-AA but their physical size, with only a hand full of defensive linemen over 280lbs, Furman just won’t be able to hold back the Clemson running attack.
Clemson 37-Furman 14
NC State
A real test in NC State’s house. I would like to hope the game will not be so close that the NC State faithful have to pee in the stands like last years NC State/FSU game but I fear this is going to be. Last year in our house they fell one incomplete pass short from handing us an additional “L” to our schedule. NC State is ready to play every year, they are returning a lot of veterans minus their stud TE Anthony Hill and their new coach has had our number every year since BC joined the ACC. Our winning streak against the Wolfpack will come to a close this year.
NC State 28-Clemson 24
Georgia Tech
The glory game of the 2006 season, a distant memory but it was a proud week to be a Clemson Tiger. Greatness was at our doorstep, apparently we thought it was a vacuum salesman and turned it away with no sale. What’s Clemson to do? The Jackets are going through some growing pains much like we are, missing that Calvin guy that went for negative 3yds against us last year. What are we going to do, take them down in their house.
Clemson 24-GT 17
Virginia Tech
If you don’t remember this one you must have been a member of the Peace Corps last season. This is the one that brought down our season and VT fans love to know this. We all thought after Davis’s first TD it was about to start getting ugly, well it did, just on the wrong side of the ball. VT is primarily the same team as last year. Their offensive line was the weakest part of the team in ‘06, all young and they’ve done nothing but work harder and mature as a team . Brandon Ore, the clone of James Davis will be able to run all over our D-line and without Gaines Adams, I hope Sapp and the middle boys will be able to do their part and keep up. This one could get nasty…again.
VT 32 -Clemson 10
Central Michigan
I’m not laughing at this one. I remember watching the Chippewas almost take down BC at the start of the 2006 season. With RB Ontario Sneed at 5.7yds every time he tucks and run with the ball and QB Dan LeFevour with just under a 64% completion rate and 7.8yds per toss, this is not an easy win, its an even easier “L”. I’m concerned about this one. This is going to be a lose-lose mental game for the Tigers. Coming off what I think will be a thumping the weekend prior we’ll be licking our wounds and not looking for blood. I think this young Tiger D will terribly underestimate this team and we are going to get handed a painful upset. Personally I am big a Tommy B supporter, I hate to say it, this will be the game that seals his fate and he will be a lame duck coach for the rest of the season. This is just my prediction and I truly hope, for the love of God, I am wrong. I’m making this call with my head and not my heart.
C. Michigan 24-Clemson 21
Maryland
Every year Maryland is that team, the thorn in your side. Bottom line here is Maryland is going to be this year’s ACC sleeper. They will be a good team and put up a fight and challenge BC and FSU for the division. ESPN is calling them the conferences “most improved”, a title I would never want because I seem to remember that title always going to the dumb kid in the class as a consolation prize for being held back a year. Anyways, coming off of two consecutive difficult losses we will be looking for blood, but it will not be enough. Clemson will fall to Maryland in the final minutes/seconds of the game.
Maryland 27-Clemson 24
Duke
All the Gnomes will be there. Umm seriously, let’s just move on.
Clemson 48-Duke 10
Wake Forest
Wake has three weapons and if all used properly can spell doom for any team. Skinner whom I believe to be the most reliable QB in the ACC, Sam Swank, the best kicker in the ACC and Jim Grobe, a member of the top three coaches in the ACC. This combination makes Wake what they are. Credit is due here I don’t care what anyone says. Wake is a great team but they just can’t seem to consistently pull it together against the tigers. The Deacons are in our house this year and I think we will be able to pull of a final quarter win that won’t be as close as the heart attack game the gnomes endured in their quaint little stadium last year.
Clemson 27-Wake 17
Boston College
The only reason BC has managed to defeat Clemson year in and year out is coaching. O’Brien is and was one of the most underrated football coaches in the ACC. BC really gets on my nerves, what team in their right mind would fire the most winningest coach (75-45) in history, for no reason better than, “just because”. We will have taken our lumps from O’Brien earlier in the season and we all know that NFL coaches, which transfer into the NCAA, fail miserably on a consistent basis. Ex-NFL Offensive Coordinator of the Packers, Jeff Jagodzinski and his BC Eagles are being hailed as a favorite in the ACC, I say otherwise. BC is in our house and they feel it all four quarters.
Clemson 34-BC 21
South Carolina
Pumped up from a big win against BC Clemson heads to the house of the upside down roach to play ball against a bunch of thugs with a record at the police station a mile long, maybe two miles long by the end of the season the way things are going down in Columbia. What’s up, seriously? Credit is due to our neighbors to the south. The real university of South Carolina, Clemson, has been kicking around the Shamecocks for many, many…many years. Steve Spurrier and his visor have done a great job with turning the biggest laughing stock team around (somewhat) and I think they will be an SEC champion contender in the next four years. All this being said if the USC administration doesn’t managed to piss off the old ball coach too much and he doesn’t leave (I see that happening too). I’m going to speak plainly here, USC is a better team, they have a better coach and we are in there house. After a season of getting pushed around in the SEC they are going trained and to be looking to take it out on a down Clemson team. I worried this may be Tommy’s last game and I’m worried he’s going to go out pretty badly. I hope this is going to be a good game, in a rivalry, anything can happen. My heart tells me we are going to beat them down and ruin a possible decent season, my head tells me this may be USC’s year to take it to us pretty good. It hurts to say this so early in the season, it hasn’t even started yet, but Clemson will loose to USC.
USC 38-Clemson 21
I’m sure there may be a few hateful responses to this 7 and 5 season, please know I love Clemson. I will lose my voice every game and I will never leave a game early. There is nothing in this world that will give me goose bumps quicker than the Tigers running down the hill and 83,000 fellow fans yelling as loud as they can. Regardless of the season’s outcome, I want us to win every game, I want to enjoy every moment of the season, I want Tommy to be back in 08 and I want to win the ACC title. I still know we can pull off every one of those hopes over the next three months. Go Tigers!!!
