Bad News For Clemson and ACC

Well you never like to see a kid get hurt but the injury to RB Darren Evans of Virginia Tech is not only bad for the ACC but its bad for Clemson as well. Let me explain...VT is not on Clemson's schedule this year but does play NC State, Maryland, and BC from the Atlantic division. You may not think its that big a deal but when the division has been decided by one or two games it makes a difference. While none of those teams are FSU, it doesnt help our chances to have a weaker VT. This year we want a strong NC, Duke, and VT--every little bit helps.

Also the ACC really cant afford to be blown out again by Alabama. I am so sick of hearing how bad we were last year but another blow-out and the ACC goes down another notch and that cant be good for lucrative TV dreams. The ACC needs a momentum year badly where 'big mo' is finally returned. All is not lost however bc the back-up RBs are supposed to be pretty good, we shall see...

Well This Really Hurts

With the O-Line being the most glaring and obvious weakness last year and potentially this year as well, our chance to have a reliable back-up at the left or right tackle position who could have probably started at some point in the season is gone for the season. JK Jay--one of the prize recruit of last years thin class is going to have surgery this Wed. on his back. This is a tough pill to swallow and with Barry Humphries deciding to be a baby and transfer to SC State, the hits just keep on coming. Like I've said before, anytime the names Jamarcus Grant and Cory Lambert are mentioned as anywhere close to starters--we have a problem. If Hairston goes down at left tackle then you can kiss the ACC Champs goodbye. I'll post more later on this O-Line but its got to be a tough day for JK Jay, hope the surgery goes well for you. For those of you who dont know him, JK is about the nicest guy you will ever meet.

Hopefully the O-Line can still put it together but as we get thinner, things are looking less optimistic for that elusive improvement we so desperately need.

Steve Spurrier Is Kind Of A Jerk Or A Bad Manager

So once again Steve Spurrier shows his true colors. Recruits take note--this man cant even see that Tim Tebow is the top QB in the SEC, either that or he cant run an organization and allows idiots to fill out his ballots. Either way what I really think this shows is that Spurrier is a poor sport and doesnt like how his legacy in Florida is being overtaken by Urban Meyer and T-bow. Sour grapes from an old tired coach who needs to gracefully exit into the sunset--but the overblown ego of the ball coach would never allow that to happen. So here is to his imminent demise and self destruction, its going to be a great show to watch bc although I'll admit this SC team has some talent, they are going to be fighting to stay at .500 in the SEC...but hey with 7 O-line recruits coming in maybe next year will be the year (no, seriously this time!).

Go Tigers!

Clemben's Top Five Skarelina Videos: #1

Well here it is, le coup d'etat--this is by far my favorite Clemson/Skarelina video off all-time. Its very topical with Bowden trying to angle for a new job or salvage his legacy?? Clemson fans are the best, I almost cried when I heard this one, especially when the person recording it starts laughing too. And while Coot fans will mock this man for calling in and crying on live TV, calling it overly emotional, not important enough to cry over--I cant but admire this man's awesome fandom. If you havent shed a tear over Clemson football--are you really that much of a fan?

I guess the question isnt why is this man crying over Clemson football, but why arent you? So please take this moment to laugh and cry for Clemson...

Time to scrap the "natural rival"

In 2005, ACC football went to a two division format. Each team was given a "natural rival"--a team that they would play from the opposing division every year, alternating home and away sites. Now its been four full seasons, giving us a good opportunity to see how this scheduling system has been working out with each team having played 2 away and 2 home games against their designated rival. Just to quickly get an idea of how fair this system has been, I collected the winning percentages for each team (admittedly a poor proxy for team strength but useful for a quick look) in the conference for the past four years and ranked the teams according to the success of their rival:



What immediately jumps out is the remarkable parity in the relative success of almost every team's rival. Just going up and down the list, you can see that most rival teams are usually adjacent, and sport win percentages that match-up closely. I think this has the tendency to blunt any advantage of a team over another. In other words, since Clemson is no more likely to beat their rival then say, Maryland is to beat Virginia, no one is really at an advantage.

Unfortunately, there is one exception: Wake Forest. WF has a ridiculous competitive advantage right now over the other teams in the Atlantic Division. Really, though, the ACC is probably lucky that only one team is at an advantage right now relative to the others. In a system like this, its likely the conference ultimately ends up in a situation where several teams are benefiting from a weak rival, putting the other competing teams at a disadvantage. The ACC should give some serious thought to scrapping the "natural rival" and rotating through three teams in a given season instead of just two. This wouldn't eliminate scheduling disadvantages from year-to-year (inevitable with a unbalanced schedule), but strength of schedule should at least more or less even out over time.

If any team starts crying over losing their precious rivalry, its probably time to start talking division realignment. Something has to be done, the other teams in the Atlantic Division can't afford to keep spotting Wake Forest a game every year.

Clemben's Top Five Skarelina Videos: #2

Been in Europe for a bit, sorry this is so delayed. Thought it would be nice to throw in some of ChickenCurse.com's fine work for your viewing pleasure...check out more of their good work...

Clemben's Top Five Skarelina Videos: #3

Nothing like revisiting this classic post, got to love sending Lou off with this one...too bad he landed at espn. Is there a more irritating pair with Mark May and Lou on tv? Obviously this is an equally embarrassing event for Clemson but it reminds you of how thuggish SC players can be. We had a couple thugs back then too and both programs have cleaned up somewhat, but in this video South Carolina players at that time show their true colors. Poor sports...and my favorite part is that Lou has no control over his players whatsoever...