Conference Power Rankings After Week 5

1. SEC 38.92
2. Big 10 40.64
3. Big 12 43.75
4. Mountain West 52.22
5. Big East 52.63
6. ACC 54.75
7. PAC 10 57.10
8. WAC 68.33
9. C-USA 77.75
10. Sun Belt 85.38
11. MAC 87.69

The ACC, despite beating two more Big XII teams (ACC is now 4-0 vs. Big XII), was seriously hurt by the Wake Forest loss to Navy. The PAC 10? Crushed by USCs loss.

Free Willy

Here's to Willy Korn starting at quarterback for Clemson on October 9th against Wake Forest. Bowden's not going to do it, but the question is should he?

Even with the agonizing loss on Saturday the Tigers are not out of the ACC race - yet. One conference loss doesn't mean what it used to back in the day. In each of the last three years the Atlantic Division winner not only had a loss - two had TWO losses and one had three.

That doesn't change what's happening on the field though. The Tiger's passing offense is anemic and Cullen Harper is not the same player he was last year. Is he injured? Not according to Harper or Bowden. Has he lost his confidence? Not according to Harper. But it's plain to see that his passes just aren't the same, for whatever reason, as they were last year. His completions are a half step behind the receivers; his incompletions are downright ugly at times. Harper's completing 66.7% of his throws, but through 5 games has only 3 TDs and 5 interceptions. In 2007 he had 27 TDs and 6 interceptions with a completion percentage of 65.1.

But this is about more than stats. It's about leading a team. It's about having confidence that when you need a drive or a play your quarterback is going to deliver. I had that confidence in Harper at one time. Not any longer. So, I've come to the conclusion that Willy Korn needs to play, if not start. Not to give Korn "meaningful" snaps to prepare for next year, but rather because I believe he gives this team a better opportunity to win right now.

Power Rankings after week 5

1. Vanderbilt 161.7647
2. Boise State 154.9020
3. Alabama 153.4454
4. Utah 148.4034
5. South Florida 146.3865
6. Connecticut 144.8739
7. Oklahoma State 144.5378
8. Texas 143.6975
9. Michigan State 143.5294
10.BYU 142.8572
11.Oklahoma 142.2269
12.Georgia 138.4874
13.Virginia Tech 137.6471
14.Missouri 137.3950
15.Ball State 136.6387
16.Fresno State 132.9832
17.Northwestern 132.7731
18.Ohio State 130.5882
19.Air Force 128.1513
20.LSU 127.3109
21.Pittsburgh 126.0504
21.Minnesota 126.0504
23.Wisconsin 125.2101
23.Kentucky 125.2101
25.Oregon 124.8740

Vandy is about to be tested, but they could be 6-0 as they play Auburn and it's anemic offense this week and Mississippi State the following week.

Finding New Ways to Lose

Never let it be said that the Clemson coaching staff isn't inventive. Yesterday, they conjured up a way to turn a 200+ yard first half rushing effort into a loss.

Some of the worst play calling I can recall in the second half. Our coaches coach scared. They try not to lose instead of trying to win.

Not trying to bash any player in particular, but I think it's time to "Free Willy".

ACC Update

As previously mentioned, the ACC had it's best week last week going 6-0 vs. non-conference teams including wins over an SEC team and a Big XII team. For the year the ACCs record against non-conference opponents look like this:

vs. FCS Teams 12-0
vs. Big 12 2-0
vs. MAC 2-0
vs. C-USA 2-1
vs. PAC 10 1-1
vs. Big East 1-1
vs. Independents 1-0
vs. SEC 2-3
vs. Big Ten 0-1
vs. Sun Belt 0-1

Week 5 ACC Predictions

That thud you heard was my game picking record heading towards "bolivia". Horrible week, just when I thought I knew it all. Let's look at the scoreboard: For the week I was 5-3 straight up and a paltry 2-5 against the spread. For the season: 27-9 straight up and 14-10 against the spread.


On to week 5 we go.

Clemson 27 Maryland 24 (+ 11 ½) 17
Duke (-7) 20 Virginia 10
Miami 27 (-7) North Carolina 18
Boston College (NL) 38 Rhode Island 3
Florida State 17 Colorado (+6) 14
Wake Forest 31 Navy (+16) 17
South Florida (- 8 ½) 27 N.C. State 10
Virginia Tech (+ 6 ½) 20 Nebraska 17

Conference Power Rankings After Week 4

A big shift this week. The Big 12 drops to 3rd, mainly due to a weak non-conference schedule and two weak teams - Texas A&M (#107) and Kansas State (#97).

One other interesting thing. There is one conference that doesn't have a team ranked lower than 75th in our power rankings. Which conference is it? The ACC. At least in part dispelling the theory of how weak the conference is. Make no mistake - Virginia is horrible right now and they will probably fall past 100 soon. The only thing propping them up at this point is their strength of schedule. We'll write more about this soon, but it doesn't appear that the ACC is as weak as everyone thought. The ACCs "weakness" is that there is no dominant team or teams, but a bunch of middle of the road type teams that can beat anyone one week and lose to anyone the next. I'm not foolish enough to suggest that the ACC can hold a candle to the SEC, Big 12 or even the Big 10 to some extent, but I have no problem saying at this point the ACC is improving.

One final note: The ACC has two more games vs. the Big XII this week, which will go a long way in determining the true strength of the league - Florida State plays Colorado in Jacksonville and Virginia Tech goes to Nebraska.

1. SEC 38.25
2. Big 10 41.45
3. Big XII 46.58
4. Mountain West 49.11
5. ACC 53.58
6. PAC 10 58.20
7. Big East 61.25
8. WAC 68.33
9. C-USA 75.08
10. Sun Belt 79.50
11. MAC 85.85

Power Rankings Top 25 after week 4

I know what you're saying. Vanderbilt? Look at the schedule, look who they've played (and beaten). Name one other team that has played (and beaten) 4 better teams as a whole.

The Tigers drop this week, even with a 54-0 win. That's the beauty of our rankings. Play a 1-AA team? You'll probably drop in our power rankings.

1. Vanderbilt 167.7647
2. Utah 160.5042
3. Wisconsin 157.9832
4. Boise State 154.9020
5. USC 154.6219
6. Wake Forest 152.9412
7. Georgia 150.6303
8. Connecticut 144.5378
8. Florida 144.5378
10.Michigan State 144.3278
11.South Florida 144.3277
12.Ball State 143.2733
13.Alabama 143.0672
14.BYU 142.8572
15.Minnesota 140.1261
16.Nebraska 138.3754
17.Texas 138.0952
18.Missouri 137.3950
19.Oklahoma State 135.0140
20.Kentucky 133.6134
21.UNLV 132.5630
22.Fresno State 132.2129
23.LSU 131.9328
24.East Carolina 131.0925
25.Pittsburgh 130.8123
56.Clemson 103.5714

Thoughts from the weekend

Whats wrong with Cullen Harper?
It's apparent he's not the same QB as last year, when he threw for 2,991 yards, 27 TDs and only 6 interceptions. Through 4 games in 2008 he's thrown for 793 yards, 3 TDs and 4 interceptions. Two of those games have been against I-AA teams.

Not sure if his shoulder is still injured, if he is going through a "sophomore" slump, he's lost confidence, or he played above his head last year. Whatever it is Clemson needs Harper to return to form soon. Like this week.

From all accounts he looked horrible Saturday in the 54-0 drubbing of S.C. State. 15/24, 151 yards, 0 TDs, 2 interceptions. Meanwhile, Willy Korn steps in and goes 7/7 for 76 yards and a TD, while running for 19 more yards and another score.

Something to keep an eye on.

Turnovers and Penalties
As we mentioned last week, these are two areas that need improvement. Well, despite winning 54-0, there was not much improvement here. The two interceptions, along with 6 penalties for 45 yards, would spell doom against a better team. Again, something to keep an eye on.

Terps
Maryland is ranked 109th in pass defense, so there appears to be an opening there for the Tigers, assuming Harper is on. Maryland is middle of the road on run defense so the Tigers could have some issues running the ball (which I expect). Clemson really needs Davis or Spiller to break a big run or two to open things up. If not, it could be closer than expected.

Thoughts on the weekend past
For the second week in a row the ACC acquitted itself fairly well. Georgia Tech dismantled Mississippi State and Miami blasted Texas A&M. N.C. State rose up and beat everyone's darling, East Carolina, and Boston College handled Central Florida easily. Add in the Maryland and Clemson romps and the ACC had a perfect non-conference record.

The Wake-Florida State game wasn't a thing of beauty, but hey, neither was Auburn's 3-2 win over Mississippi State last weekend.

Virginia Tech edged North Carolina to go 2-0 in the ACC and take an early lead in the Coastal. This could be the battle for the division crown over the next few years, but let's not forget about Miami - who if they get some coaching and continue the talent infusion - is going to be a player. You heard it here first.

Rear View Mirror
There's still a long way to go in the season, but that loss to Alabama isn't looking so horrid anymore is it? The way it happened was still ugly. Clemson was unprepared and unemotional, but it's clear that Saban has Alabama working on all cylinders, at least to this point. The Tide heads to Georgia this week, so we should get a better gauge of how good they really are.

N.C. State also turned some heads by beating previously undefeated East Carolina. They haven't exactly had a cakewalk of a schedule early, playing South Carolina, Clemson and East Carolina in their first 4 games. Next up? South Florida. Yikes.

Well, isn't that "special"

Over the years I've defended Tommy Bowden many times in many places in many ways. I'm pretty damn close to giving up.

An article in today's State paper brings out the fact that during the last few years Clemson's special teams were unorganized, unprepared, attendees were often late and Bowden didn't even attend the meetings. So you have a special teams unit that cost you time after time, year after year and it takes you 9 years to decide to name a coordinator, make sure everyone is there on time and show up yourself? Isn't it amazing what a little accountability will do?

How can you make a million or so a year and not cover such details? Some would suggest that special teams play accounts for 20% of the snaps in a game. Yet, Clemson had no coordinator, no organization, no accountability. It's amazing the special teams weren't worse. It shows a lack of attention to detail. A lack of the willingness to address a problem. Most of all it shows a lack of leadership. The head coach didn't care about special teams, why should the players?

Week 4 ACC Predictions

Week 3 saw me go 5-2 straight up and 4-2 against the spread, bringing my yearly total to 22-6 straight up and 12-5 against the spread.

Here are my week 4 predictions:

Georgia Tech (-8) 17 Mississippi State 6
East Carolina (-7 ½) 24 N.C. State 13
Clemson 31 (NL) S.C. State 7
Maryland 30 Eastern Michigan (+21 ½) 14
Boston College 17 UCF 14 (+11)
North Carolina 20 (- 1 ½) Virginia Tech 13
Miami, FL 21 Texas A&M 20 (+3)
Florida State 20 Wake Forest (+ 4 ½) 17

Conference Power Rankings after week 3

1. SEC 38.08
2. Big 12 40.83
3. Big 10 43.82
4. Mountain West 49.33
5. ACC 56.67
6. PAC 10 56.80
7. Big East 66.38
8. WAC 69.56
9. C-USA 71.75
10. MAC 82.23
11. Sun Belt 82.38

The PAC 10 took a huge hit, going 3-7, losing a game to the ACC (Maryland over Cal) and going 0-4 vs. the Mountain West. Ouch. The ACC took a baby step forward with the Maryland win and North Carolina's thrashing of Rutgers on Thursday.

Here's what the ACCs non-conference record looks like through three weeks:

vs. FCS Teams 11-0

vs. SEC 1-3

vs. Big Ten 0-1

vs. Sun Belt 0-1

vs. Pac 10 1-1

vs. MAC 1-0

vs. C-USA 0-1

vs. Big 12 1-0

vs. Big East 1-1

vs. Independents 1-0

Power Rankings after week 3

Things still look a bit askew, but the self-correction process is well under way. A couple more weeks and these will look more "like they should".


1. East Carolina 168.3474

2. Vanderbilt 163.8655

3. Wisconsin 157.9832

4. Wake Forest 155.0420

5. USC 154.6219

6. South Florida 151.8207

7. Florida 151.2605

8. Utah 150.9804

9. Georgia 144.5378

10.BYU 144.2577

11.Ball State 141.4566

12.Connecticut 139.7759

13.Minnesota 139.4958

13.Air Force 139.4958

15.Boise State 138.6555

16.Nebraska 138.3754

16.Oregon 138.3754

18.Missouri 138.0952

19.TCU 136.1344

20.Oklahoma State 135.0140

21.Michigan State 134.4538

22.Alabama 133.8935

23.Kentucky 133.6134

24.Iowa 133.0532

25.Auburn 131.9328

49.Clemson 104.7619

Thoughts after 3 games

We're 25% of the way through the season and I would say that Clemson is about 25% of the team everyone thought they would be.

While everyone that closely follows the Tigers knew that the offensive line would be a work in progress, the defense, or a lack thereof, has been the real surprise. Sure, the Wolfpack only scored 3 points on offense and had only 136 yards rushing (3.5/rush). However, if you add the yardage lost on two sacks (14 yards) and subtract those two carries from the "rushing" totals, you end up with 150 yards on 37 carries or 4.1 yards per carry - against a team that didn't have a first down until 28 minutes into their last game against William and Mary.

It's obvious that the loss of Rashaad Jackson is bigger than expected. Add in the loss of his replacement, Jamie Cumbie, the injury that has limited Ricky Sapp and the inexperience at linebacker and you have a recipe for disaster that may be playing out before our very eyes.

On offense the Tigers were hit and miss. Yes, they racked up 428 total yards, including 166 yards rushing against a pretty good defense. After throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown on the games first play, Cullen Harper recovered to finish 20 of 28 for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns (along with the one Int).

However, if you look a little closer at the rushing totals you see that 71 of the 166 yards came from someone other than a running back. While the end around is a staple of the Clemson offense (34 yards on two attempts) and Jacoby Ford had one 18 yard run while lined up in the backfield, the combination of Spiller and Davis totaling 95 yards on 24 carries is underwhelming to say the least. Davis in particular seems to be struggling with gaining yardage with the young offensive line. It appears that Spiller's running style is more suited to the talents of the line.

It's so bad that one has to wonder if Davis will in fact break the all-time Clemson rushing mark that seemed so certain before the season began. Davis is currently 683 yards from that record with 9 regular season games to go. While a bowl game is almost a certainty, the ACC Championship Game is not. So, let's split the difference and say Davis has 10 games left. He'll need to average 68.3 yards per game to break the record. With Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Boston College and South Carolina looming it could be tough sledding, especially with Davis splitting carries with Spiller.

That being said, a nice 150 yard game against S.C. State, Duke or Virginia (or all three) could make this a moot point. Just something to keep an eye on.

The good from Saturday? Aaron Kelly returned to form with 7 catches for 94 yards. Jacoby Ford came into his own with 6 catches for 106 yards (1 TD) and 48 yards rushing. C.J. Spiller averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored twice (one on the ground and once through the air).

But most of all - and I can't believe I'm saying this - the special teams looked solid. Jimmy Maners averaged 47.7 yards per punt. The kick coverage teams were solid as Tyler Grisham made play after play. Mark Buchholz made both field goal attempts (including one on an angle) and remains perfect on the year.

Two things to keep an eye on are turnovers and penalties. Over the last couple of years Clemson has had very few of either and that helped an average team play at an above average level. Clemson finished 9th in the nation in turnover margin in 2007 and 10th in fewest penalty yards per game. Through 3 games in 2008 the Tigers rank tied for 74th in turnover margin and 78th in penalty yards per game. On Saturday the Tigers had two turnovers (both by Harper) and accumulated 7 penalties for 75 yards. Both turnovers cost Clemson points and without these the game would have probably ended up being around 34-3. Clemson needs to improve in both of these areas if they are going to have any chance to win the ACC.

The ACCs last gasp

I wrote here last week that it was early in the season and the ACC had plenty of time left to show the world how good (or not) it really is, and though there are still several marquee match ups still to be played (Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina, Wake Forest-Vanderbilt) after week two one has to wonder how BAD the ACC really is. Yes, the conference had a win over a SEC team when Wake edged Mississippi in Winston-Salem. Problem is, Wake was playing at home as an 8 point favorite over a supposedly middle of the road SEC team and had to squeak by. Then came the Maryland loss to that powerhouse Middle Tennessee. Ouch.

So, after two weeks here is the ACC non-conference totals:

vs. FCS Teams 10-0
vs. SEC 1-3
vs. Big Ten 0-1
vs. Sun Belt 0-1
vs. Pac 10 0-1
vs. MAC 1-0
vs. C-USA 0-1
vs. Big 12 1-0

Total non-conference record to this point: 13n-7. Take away the 10 FCS wins and you are left with a 3-7 record. Three wins over FBS teams in two weeks. Two of them by Wake Forest (pounding hapless Baylor and then edging Mississippi on a last second FG). The other ACC win? Boston College over Kent State. Are you kidding me? No wonder the conference is looked upon as a joke by national pundits.

This week is another chance for the ACC, with a televised game on Thursday that pits UNC against Rutgers. Then on Saturday California is at Maryland and Virginia is at Connecticut. The ACC will have to win two of those to gain some semblance of respectability back. If they lose all three, this conference may not recover it's reputation for some time to come, deservedly so.

Week 3 ACC Predictions

After starting out on fire in week 1, I cooled a bit last week finishing 8-2 straight up and 2-3 against the spread, bringing my yearly total to 17-4 straight up and 8-3 against the spread.

Here are my week 3 picks:

North Carolina (+4 1/2) 20 Rutgers 16
California (-14 1/2) 47 Maryland 7
Duke 17 Navy (+1 1/2) 16
Clemson 30 N.C. State (+18 1/2) 17
Georgia Tech (+7) 17 Virginia Tech 14
Florida State (NL) 52 UT-Chattanooga 6
Connecticut (-11) 27 Virginia 10

Conference Power Rankings Week 2

The Big 12 overtakes the SEC as the top rated conference. Will it last? The ACC is in danger of falling off the map and look at the Sun Belt pass the MAC.

1. Big 12 36.42
2. SEC 39.67
3. Big 10 40.82
4. PAC 10 42.40
5. MWC 60.56
6. ACC 62.83
7. WAC 63.75
8. Big East 67.13
9. C-USA 71.67
10. Sun Belt 72.25
11. MAC 80.92

Power Rankings Top 25 after week 2

If you're looking for the Tigers they aren't here. The win over FCS The Citadel only moved the Tigers up to a tie for 75th in our power poll. With #78 N.C. State on tap for this week, followed by FCS S.C. State and Maryland (currently #102), it may be a while before the Tigers see our top 25.

1. UCLA 187.3950

2. East Carolina 174.7900

3. Fresno State 174.7899

4. Utah 171.0084

5. Vanderbilt 160.9244

6. Minnesota 159.2437

7. Wake Forest 155.0420

8. Oklahoma 152.5211

9. Florida 151.2605

10. Alabama 150.8403

11. California 149.5799

12. USC 149.5798

13. Nebraska 148.3194

14. Kansas 146.6387

14. Arizona State 146.6387

16. Northwestern 145.7984

17. Missouri 141.1765

18. Auburn 140.3362

19. Georgia Tech 139.0757

20. Wisconsin 137.8152

20. Air Force 137.8152

22. Connecticut 134.8740

23. Georgia 133.1933

23. Oklahoma 133.1933

23. Texas Tech 133.1933

23. South Florida 133.1933

23. Ball State 133.1933

Be on the lookout

for Aaron Kelly and the Clemson defense. No one knows where they have gone.

Kelly, who caught 88 passes last year for over 1,000 yards, managed 5 catches for 28 yards in the season opener against Alabama. OK, so he played a tough D and the Tide shut the Tigers down. Surely, he would rip off huge numbers against The Citadel.

No. Kelly had 2 catches for 15 yards and was used as a "decoy" per Tommy Bowden by the Tigers in their 45-17 win over the Bulldogs. Are you kidding me? A 6'5, All-ACC receiver used as a decoy against a 1-AA team? What? Huh? Kelly is on pace to catch 42 passes for 258 yards in 2008. Are you kidding me?

The Clemson D, ranked #9 in 2007, played horrible in week 1. In week 2 against the Dogs the D gave up chunks of yardage. Huge chunks. The Citadel had pass plays of 42, 39, 37, and 41 yards (TD). That was before halftime. A 50 yard TD pass with 1:33 remaining rounded out the Dogs 338 yards passing (427 total) and left me scratching my head.

True, 209 of the 338 passing yards came on 5 plays, and the other 20 completions amounted to 129 yards, but the shear volume of large plays has to be a concern. A defense that finished in the top 10 in the country last year and had 8 returning starters, now sits at #93 after two games in 2008. The Tigers have managed 1 sack in two games. Apparently the loss of Rashaad Jackson hurts worse than originally thought.

While the Tigers may make it through September 4-1 and 2-0 in the ACC without huge contributions from Kelly and the defense, it'll be a long year if the same pattern repeats itself over the course of the year.

The Vandy Five

Much has been made of the Tigers lack of a running game against Alabama last Saturday. We've heard all the reasons/excuses. 4 new starters. No starting experience. Tough SEC opponent.

So I watched with rapt interest on Thursday as Vanderbilt, with 5 new starters on the offensive line, ran for 135 yards against a South Carolina defense that had pitched a shut out the week before and was being touted as one of the best in the nation.

135 yards isn't great. In fact, Vandy only averaged 3.3 yards per carry and the game turned on special teams play by Vandy. But, Vandy was able to run out the clock while keeping the ball on the ground during the final drive that began at their 5 yard line with a little more than two minutes to play with the Gamecocks having two timeouts and while everyone in the stadium knew they were going to run the ball.

I've been a big defender of the Clemson coaching staff. But the evidence is mounting, slowly (some would say not so slowly) that this team is lacking in the coaching department, especially on the offensive line.

It's early in the season and to soon to definitively say that the South Carolina defense is better than the Alabama defense or vice versa. But, when you see a Clemson team with James Davis and C.J. Spiller in the backfield rush for 20 yards between them and 0 as a team, followed by Vanderbilt running for 135 against a South Carolina defense with 10 starters returning while breaking in 5 new starters, you have to shake your head in wonder and asked why?

Linthicum quits team

It's being reported that TE Brian Linthicum has quit the football team. Wow. Just wow. This is a guy who played a ton as a true freshman last year and appeared to have a bright future ahead of him as a Tiger.

Again, one has to wonder what is going on with this team right now.

The hits just keep coming

The injuries continue to mount as Jamie Cumbie suffers a season ending broken wrist. So, after replacing Rashaad Jackson (out six weeks), Cumbie breaks his hand the next day, injures his opposite wrist in game one, and then breaks that wrist during the wrist on Tuesday after the first game. So, a position that went from having a solid senior starter with two four star backups, now is manned by a sophomore with a true freshman backup.

It's going to be an interesting year.

Week 2 ACC Predticions

I went 9-2 straight up last week and 6-0 against the spread. Can I do it again this week?

Again, games against FCS teams are picked straight up only. In the lined games my choice is bolded.

Boston College 17 Georgia Tech (+7) 13
Florida 42 Miami (+21 1/2) 21
Maryland 24 (-13 1/2) at Middle Tennessee State 10
Wake Forest (-8) 24 Mississipppi 13
Virginia Tech (NL) 27 Furman 7
Clemson (NL) 41 The Citadel 17
Virginia (NL) 21 Richmond 10
N.C. State (NL) 17 William and Mary 6
Florida State (NL) 43 Western Carolina 13
Northwestern 20 Duke (+6 1/2) 16

Aftermath

Over the last few days I have thought quite a bit about what happened Saturday in Atlanta and what it means for the future of the Clemson football team. One thing that struck me is how quickly things change - not just for Clemson, but for Alabama, too. The outcome of one game could have a devastating effect on one team and an incredible bounce for another. Here are some key points as I see them:

Team Psyche
This one has to hurt, but how will the team respond to the beat down on national TV? Make no mistake - I believe Alabama is a better team than most think, but how good is to be determined. Clemson on the other hand is bruised and battered mentally and physically. Will the mental wounds heal or is this a team headed for oblivion? The schedule favors the Tigers over the next three weeks with two FCS teams, a pretty weak N.C. State, and a Maryland team that only beat Delaware 14-7. As horrible as Saturday was Clemson could end the month 4-1 and 2-0 in the ACC.

Recruiting
This one hurt in more ways than just losing to Alabama. It was already difficult competing with SEC schools for talent because of the disparity between the two conferences in terms of cache. This isn't going to help. It will be used against Clemson (and other ACC teams) during recruiting. Can't say that I blame them. If you are Craig Loston and you have a chance to play for Texas in the Big 12 or LSU in the SEC or Clemson in the ACC who do you choose? I'd be shocked if it was Clemson.

Coaching Changes
It's becoming apparent that something needs to change. While I remain resistant to changing the entire staff for several reasons, it's become painfully obvious that the Tigers are really easy to defend, and also, pretty easy to move the ball on. Clemson dominates teams in which they have a clear edge in talent, but when the talent is close or equal, the Tigers fall short to better preparation, schemes and adjustments.

In 2007 the Clemson offense averaged 100.4 more yards per game and twice as many points (51 vs. 25.1) per game when facing Louisiana-Monroe, Furman, Central Michigan and Duke than they did against the rest of their schedule. The Tigers fatten their stats on the sisters of the poor and struggle against everyone else. Rob Spence should not be retained. Vic Koenning should be on a short leash. While the disparity is not close to what Spence's offense generates (the defense only allows 20 more yards a game and 7 more points against the 9 stronger teams) Koenning's defense generated 11 turnovers in those four games and only 14 in the other 9. To some extent I'm sure this happens with a lot of teams - fatten your stats against your I-AA opponents (or weaker FBS opponents like Monroe and Central Michigan). The difference is Clemson repeatedly comes up short in marquee games and appears to be out coached and unprepared. Depending on how the next 11 games turn out Tommy Bowden and the other assistants should be put on notice.

What's it all mean?
The season isn't over. Most of the team's goals remain within reach. 10 wins, division championship, ACC Championship, BCS bid and BCS win. Only one was lost - an undefeated season - and that was an extremely remote shot from where I sit. It's easy to over react and panic at this point. But, that's a course I'm not ready to take at this point.

Conference Power Rankings after week 1

The ACC and Big East took it in the shorts. The Big winner was the PAC-10. One note, for all the bluster about the SEC did anyone notice that one of their teams lost to Louisiana Tech and that a Big 12 team lost to Arkansas State?

Note: Teams that have not played a game are not ranked.

1. SEC 36.92
2. PAC 10 39.50
3. Big 12 39.75
4. Big 10 49.30
5. MWC 51.00
6. ACC 53.91
7. WAC 57.22
8. Big East 59.63
9. C-USA 62.00
10. MAC 63.17
11. Sun Belt 71.88

Power Rankings Top 25 after week 1

Reminder - this is a power ranking, not a poll. This is a jumbled mess right now due to the large number of teams playing FCS teams in week 1. Alabama is where they are because they beat the #8 preseason team. UCLA beat #16 Tennessee. Things will even out over the course of the next couple of weeks. Clemson comes in at #83.

In week 1 what this boils down to is who beat the highest ranked teams. This process will build on itself each week and "average out" over the course of the season. In other words, Bowling Green might win every game they play and not remain number 5 because of their strength of schedule.


Note: Teams that have not played a game are not ranked.

1. Alabama 194.1176


2. UCLA 187.395


3. East Carolina 183.1933


4. Missouri 182.3529


5. Bowling Green 181.5126


6. Fresno State 174.7899


7. Utah 173.9496


8. California 172.2689


9. Stanford 169.7479


10. Louisiana Tech 162.1849


11. Arkansas State 159.6639


12. Kentucky 154.6218


13. Oregon 151.2605


14. USC 149.5798


15. South Carolina 147.0588


16. Texas 139.4958


17. Oklahoma State 138.6555


18. TCU 137.8151


19. Florida 136.9748


20. Vanderbilt 133.6134


21. Nebraska 130.2521


22. Mississippi 129.4118


23. Wake Forest 127.7311


24. Northwestern 125.2101


25. Buffalo 124.3697

Moving on

There's trouble headed for South Carolina and I'm not talking about the Clemson football team, but Hurricane Hanna.

Not sure what will happen, but man this team needs to get back on the field and have something positive happen. Quickly.