Just one more point at Clemson

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, June 11, 2007  |  Comments( 19 )

Clemson Tigers
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There are those who stand by what Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden stated prior to the Music City Bowl last year, that Clemson was "one point away" from the Atlantic Division title in the ACC. Meaning that Clemson, which ended the regular season at 8-4 (5-3), was:

1) One play away from beating Boston College (C.J. Spiller rush for 4-yard loss in OT from BC's 3-yard line);

2) A field goal away from beating Maryland (which, coincidentally, Clemson's highly ranked scoring offense never scored a touchdown against);

3) A field goal away from beating South Carolina (which, coincidentally, prevented this same highly-ranked scoring offense from scoring at all in the last quarter and a half);

Using these scenarios and assuming other ''bad luck'' didn't strike, and keeping the existing wins the same, Clemson would've possibly ended the season at 11-1 (7-1), played Georgia Tech for the ACC title and most likely received an at-large BCS berth.

The problem with this ''one away'' theory is that it's very one-sided. So, to be fair, let's look at the flip side of the coin. Because Clemson was also:

1) A botched field goal away from most likely losing to Wake Forest;

2) A surprise quick-snap away from tying Florida State and going into overtime (where the Tigers haven't had the best of luck over the past couple years);

3) A last-minute schedule change away from facing Auburn instead of drubbing Temple;

4) An ignored Calvin Johnson away from playing a much more challenging Georgia Tech team;

5) A good head coach away from losing to NC State (let's face it, Clemson didn't look that great against the fifth-ranked team in the division at the time).

Using these scenarios, assuming other ''good luck'' didn't strike, keeping the existing losses the same, Clemson would've possibly been 3-9 (1-7), and would have played no one after the South Carolina game.

Playing pretend is fun, isn't it?

From the above data, it's clear that Clemson was indeed on the brink of an ACC title shot. That is indeed true, but it's also clear that the same Clemson team was on the brink of a disastrous losing season.

Certain things were manipulated to support the above argument, but it's no different than what Bowden did at a press conference just prior to the Music City Bowl.

Fair enough?
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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CommentsComments: 19  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Caleb		11:25 PM
06/11/2007
I agree. I'm glad someone pointed this out! It's time for Tommy to win or shut up. (Yes, I said that this past year, and was ...
No.2
john smith		07:12 AM
06/12/2007
If we keep firing coaches who go 8-3 at Clemson, who in the H#%$ is going to want to come here.Better keep what we have a wish ...
No.3
Derek Littlejohn		08:07 AM
06/12/2007
I'm so tired of the "mediocre" crowd who says "who are we going to hire if we fire a coach at 8-3...". We are no different than ...
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