2019 College Football Preseason Top 10

A lot of you guys don't follow me on twitter (@K_Mart10), but I did a preseason top 10 countdown leading up to the first Saturday of the college football season. I've finally gotten around to consolidating the complete list into this blog for your viewing pleasure.

No. 1 Clemson: the defending Champs have the chance to be the best offense ever & score 100 TD’s. Lawrence, Etienne, Higgins, Ross...the list goes on & on. OL returns 4 starters as well. DL will reload, not rebuild, & secondary should be really good. Big worry is LB play. Lots of unknowns there. If you haven’t seen Isaiah Simmons play, you need to. Will be a top-15 pick. Want to say they won’t go undefeated because it’s so damn hard to do it, but don’t see a lot of places they could slip up. Tigers might go back 2 back. #RunItBack #No1Clemson

No. 2 Alabama: Tua & Jeudy make up one of the best QB-WR combos in the nation. The recent injuries on defense scare me, but Saban will figure it out for the Crimson Tide. #No2Alabama

No. 3 Georgia: I think this is the season that QB Jake Fromm takes a huge step forward. RB Swift is one of the best in the country, but the WR corps worries me. Defense is DEEP & will be nasty. Think the Bulldogs win the East, but can they beat Alabama? #No3Georgia

No. 4 Oregon: I’m really high on this team. The QB Justin Herbert is a top-10 pick & a stud. The two-headed monster at RB of Verdell & Dye gives them balance. Cristobal has the Ducks heading in the right direction. #No4Oregon

No. 5 Oklahoma: Gonna he honest, I don’t know what to think about Jalen Hurts as the QB. However, I have no doubt that Lincoln Riley will figure out how to put up points. Would not be surprised if Fr Spencer Rattler gets a shot to run to the show at some point. #No5Oklahoma

No. 6 Texas: Ehlinger is a Heisman Darkhorse & he has some really good WRs to throw too. The defense scares be, and we’ll find out a lot Week 2 vs. LSU. I still think the Longhorns might be a year away from a serious CFP run. #No6Texas

No. 7 Ohio State: Ryan Day is good, & so is Justin Fields. J.K. Dobbins is a stud, & Chase Young leads a strong defense. I believe the Buckeyes win the Big Ten. #No7OhioState

No. 8 Notre Dame: QB Ian Book is back to lead Brian Kelly’s offense & should be better in year 2 at the helm. They’ve got 2 really good DEs in Okwara & Kareem, & Gilman at Safety is a beast. Fighting Irish could make another playoff run if things fall right. #No8NotreDame

No. 9 Texas A&M: I really, really like QB Kellen Mond. The offense should be lethal behind him & a breakout year from the young RB Corbin. This team has big time potential in Jimbo Fisher’s 2nd year, but the schedule is brutal for Aggies. #No9aTm

No. 10 Michigan: Harbaugh has an experienced QB with Patterson, & the defense will be sneaky good. Is this the season he can beat Ohio State? I don’t think so, but the Wolverines are still in for a good season. #No10Michigan

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2018 College Football Preseason Top 10

A lot of you guys don't follow me on twitter (@K_Mart10), but I did a preseason top 10 countdown leading up to the first Saturday of the college football season on 9/1. I've consolidated the complete list into this blog for your viewing pleasure.

No. 1 Alabama

• Hurts, Tua it doesn’t matter. The Tide are still on top until someone knocks them off. Their defense will be nasty as always. Should be another CFP appearance for Alabama. #No1Alabama

No. 2 Clemson

• Defense will be nasty, led by the best D-Line in the country. QB Kelly Bryant should have an even better year with upgraded weapons (i.e. Tee Higgins), but watch out for Trevor Lawrence. Tigers should be in for another special season & CFP appearance. #No2Clemson

No. 3 Georgia

• QB Jake Fromm is only going to get better, & RB D’Andre Swift is going to be a superstar with Heisman potential. Defense has to replace 6 starters, but Dawgs have a lot of young guys ready to fill that void. Should be another special season. #No3Georgia

No. 4 Ohio State

• Haskins at QB is going to be a player, & the RB duo of Dobbins & Weber is among the best in the nation. D-Line is NASTY. Buckeyes have holes to fill at LB & in the secondary, but they have some guys in those spots that are stars in the making. #No4OhioState

No. 5 Washington

• Return a bunch of talent on Defense, including ALL 5 starters from the secondary. Murphy & Rapp are 2 really good players back there. Offense should be good behind QB Jake Browning & RB Myles Gaskin. Huskies have a shot to make the playoff. #No5Washington

No. 6 Wisconsin

• RB Taylor, QB Hornibrook, & a STUD O-Line make this Badger team very formidable. The Big 10 is tough this year, but I think they’ve got a real shot to make the playoff if a few things go their way. #No6Wisconsin

No. 7 Auburn

• I think this can be a really good squad with Stidham at QB & a nasty defense. The issue is they play the 4th-toughest schedule in the country. I think the Tigers start out 0-1, but still have a really good season. #No7Auburn

No. 8 Penn State

• QB Trace McSorley is an absolute gamer. Nittany Lions return their best O-Line in years, they just need a few guys to step up on Defense. #No8PennState

No. 9 Oklahoma

• Defense is still suspect for the Sooners, but the trio of QB Kyler Murray, RB Rodney Anderson, & WR Hollywood Brown will be fun to watch in year 2 of the Lincoln Riley regime. The road to the Big 12 still runs through Norman. #BoomerSooner #No9Oklahoma

No. 10 West Virginia

• BIG fan of QB Will Grier. Defense needs to improve from last season (I think they will), but they just need to be serviceable. Need another playmaker to stop up on offense, but Grier & WR David Sills V can carry them to a lot of Ws. #No10WVU

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2016 College Football Preseason Top-10

A lot of you guys don't follow me on twitter (@K_Mart10), but I did a preseason top 10 countdown for the last week and a half leading up to the first Saturday of the college football season (last Saturday). I've consolidated the complete list into this blog for your viewing pleasure.

No. 1 Alabama

• More of legacy pick than anything. Stacked at OL & RB, so mediocre QB play should be enough.
• Tide's defense will be great as always. We'll see if anyone can beat them. I think they make the playoffs again. #No1Alabama

No. 2 Clemson

•  Hesiman front-runner Deshaun Watson leads a offense full of studs. Gallman, Legget, Scott, Cain, Renfrow, Mcloud, etc.
• Tigers return top-notch OL along w/ #1 WR, Mike Williams. Defense lost some key pieces, but returns top-tier DL. Need some guys to step up.
• Season comes down to @Florida State, but game vs. Louisville scares me. Breakout players: WR Cain & DE Ferrell. #Clemson
• Tigers have best player on the field w/ Watson. Special season in store for CU. Think they make playoff for 2nd straight yr. #No2Clemson

No. 3 Florida State

• Dalvin Cook is the best RB in the nation, & returns behind a GREAT OL to go along w/ a top-tier WR Corp. #Seminoles
• I think Francois should be the Seminoles guy at QB. Think he's a player. Defense is really good, as always. Bunch of werewolves everywhere.
• Tough to start vs Ole Miss (neutral site) w/ a new QB, & @Louisville & @Miami are tough, but season comes down to 10/29 vs. Clemson. #Noles
• Think they lose to the Tigers, but still have a great shot to make the playoffs w/ 1 loss. Cook & Francois are that good. #No3FloridaState

No. 4 Ohio State

• Dual-threat QB J.T. Barrett will lead this O, & RB Mike Weber & WR Noah Brown will be household names by end of the year.
• Buckeyes have to replace a lot, but have been stacking talent. They have some guys on defense I really like in DB Conley & SS Hooker. #tOSU 
• We'll find out what they have in week 3 @Oklahoma. Schedule isn't terrible after that, play @Wis mid-season then finish @MSU & vs Michigan.
• I really like this Buckeyes team. Think they're flying under the radar. I've got Meyer, Barret, & Co. making the playoff. #No4OhioState

No. 5 Oklahoma

• QB Baker Mayfield & RBs Samaje Perine & Joe Mixon make for one of the most explosive backfields in the nation. #BoomerSooner
• Sooners need some guys to step up at O-Line & WR. Defense will be solid, & secondary led by J. Thomas, Parker, & A. Thomas is superb.
• Schedule starts off with 3 marquee games in 1st 4 weeks, w/ Houston (neutral site), vs. Ohio State, & @TCU. Boomer could easily lose 2.
• Not as high on OU as most. Always seem to underperform when picked high. I think Mayfield & crew will have a rough 1st month. #No5Oklahoma

No. 6 Notre Dame

• Irish offense should be really good. Have 2 above average QBs in Zaire & Kizer, & to be honest, idk who I would start.
• Folston & Adams at RB are good players to go along with talent at WR, but they've got a lot to replace on the O-Line w/ 3 new starters.
• Defense has a lot to replace. Recent loss of Redfield is big, & they need Rochell to step up production. D needs to increase sacks & TOs.
• Schedule is ridiculous with only 3 true road games. Irish have a good chance to win 10+ games & maybe make a run at playoff. #No6NotreDame

No. 7 Michigan

• Harbaugh's 2nd yr in Ann Arbor has the potential to be a big one. Have to find a QB, but WRs are deep & return 4 O-Lineman.
• The Wolverines defense will be salty, led by do-it-all sensation Jabrill Peppers. Were 4th overall in total D last season & could be better.
• Schedule is pretty easy, just @ Michigan State in late October then @ Ohio State to end the season. Could slip up @ Iowa, but doubtful.
• I'm not as high on this team as a lot of people. I don't believe in their QB & offense as a whole. Still think they win 10+. #No7Michigan

No. 8 Houston

• QB Greg Ward Jr. is the real deal. One of the most exciting players in college football, he led his squad to 13-1 last year.
• The Cougars have athletes all over the field on offense to help Ward. The O avgd 40.4 ppg last year, & there's no reason they won't repeat.
• Defensive front 7 is nasty & absolutely shut down then run. (see Dalvin Cook: 33 yds on 18 carries in the Peach Bowl win by the Cougars.)
• Secondary is shaky & has to replace a lot. Have a HUGE game vs. OU to open then late vs UL (both neutral sites), rest of sched is cake.
• If the Cougars somehow run the table, they may be able 2 sneak into the playoff. Expecting a huge season from Hermann & Ward Jr. #No8Houston

No. 9 LSU

• RB Leonard Fournette is a stud, & their defense will be really, really good under Dave Aranda's 3-4 scheme. #Salty
• Fournette, WRs Malachi Dupre & Travin Dural, & a solid OL could make for a great O, BUT they've got to get more out of QB Brandon Harris.
• Schedule isn't terrible for the Tigers, only tough stretch is vs Ole Miss, vs Alabama, & @Arkansas towards the end of the season.
• I don't think Harris will be good enough for them to win a title, but Fournette will still carry them to a top-10 season. #No9LSU

No. 10 Stanford

• Heisman Finalist RB McCaffrey is one of the best players in the country, and he'll make it easier on an inexperienced QB and OL.
• The Cardinal D should be REALLY good at all 3 levels, anchored by stud DL Solomon Thomas. If they can hold teams < 25, have a good shot.
• Schedule worries me, w/ USC, @UCLA, @Washington, Washington State, & @Notre Dame all in a row. Add in @Oregon at the end, & that's TOUGH.   
• This Cardinal team goes as far as Christian McCaffrey takes them, & I think they've got a great shot to win the Pac-12. #No10Stanford 

A few sleeper teams:

•      UNC-High powered O & TJ Logan 
•      Texas Tech-Love Kingsbury & my boy Pat Mahomes #Heisman 
•      Okla State-Rudolph is a star

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As Spring Practice Ends, Questions Loom

As the Clemson Tigers finished up spring practice with the annual Orange and White Spring Game, several questions remained unanswered regarding the upcoming season. Now let's get this straight, I'm not claiming to have the answers to these questions, but I can give my opinions on them for sure. Here's a few in particular that I am wondering about:

Stoudt practices as Watson looks on

1. What is the QB situation?
This was somewhat cleared up recently when Cole Stoudt was named the starter after the departure of Chad "Swag" Kelly. However, questions still remain, such as are we looking at a 2-QB system this season, with heralded freshman Deshaun Watson getting some snaps? Personally, I think both Stoudt & Watson will play against Georgia, & there will be packages for Watson when he comes in. Watson is too talented to keep off of the field, and if you're not going to redshirt him you have to play him some.

2. How hurt is Watson?
We know that Deshaun had to miss the last week of practice and the Spring Game due to a cracked collarbone. What everyone wants to know is how long he will be out. There hasn't been a consensus timeline yet, but I believe he will be back for summer workouts. 

3. How good is Mackenzie Alexander?
This guy was supposed to be the Tigers' savior in the secondary last year, but instead, injuries forced the trash-talking, lockdown, defensive back to redshirt. Mack seems to be back at full-strength & has been getting rave reviews from the coaches. I believe the new #2 will be a starter and a big-time corner this fall. 

4. Starting safety?
Last season saw Jayron Kearse come on strong thorough out the season and people had him penciled in to start. However, Jadar Johnson was slated as first team in a recent depth chart. Basically, these two are the opposite of one another: Kearse is the big-hitter and better against the run, while Johnson is better in coverage and against the pass. I see Kearse eventually taking over the position, as he has too much talent to not be on the field.

5. What's going to happen at RB?

Brooks hauls in a touchdown against Georgia

Well, who knows. D.J. Howard and Zac Brooks are the veterans, Tyshon Dye is possibly the most talented but can't stay healthy, C.J. Davidson is a former track guy and walk-on, Wayne Gallman is possibly the best combo of runner, blocker, and pass-cather, and who knows what you'll get from the freshmen Adam Choice, Jaelon Oglesby, and C.J. Fuller who are yet to get on campus. I think Howard is garbage, but Dabo will probably play him because he's a veteran and from Alabama. I like Brooks and am a big fan of his pass catching ability, but he can't stay healthy. I don't think Dye will be a huge factor coming off of the achilles injury. I really hope that we can give a bulk of the carries to Gallman and Brooks, with some Davidson mixed in as well. That way we can redshirt all of the freshmen and they can bulk up for next season.

6. Who's the #1 WR?
With the departure of Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant to the NFL, a lot of people think Mike Williams or Adam Humpries may step into that role. However, they're forgetting about Charone Peake coming back from injury. Peake was poised for a big season last year before tearing his ACL in practice. For people who don't remember, Peake was rated higher than BOTH Bryant and
Watkins coming out of high school, and both of those guys are about to get paid. I think Peake will have a big season at wideout for the Tigers. Another guy I like is the freshman Artavis Scott. He's explosive and quick and I think he'll be a major factor this fall.

Steward forces a fumble on a sack

7. Is Tony Steward ready?
You guys remember Tony, the former 5 star prospect who has torn both of his ACLs over the last 3 years. He'll be stepping into a starting this role this season, and Clemson will need some big plays from him, similar to the one that he made against Boston College this past year where he sacked the QB and forced a fumble that led to a Vic Beasley scoop and score. I think Tony is finally ready to breakout, and he'll have an outstanding season. I think he'll be a guy who will be getting drafted in 2015 for sure.


8. With Cat-Man gone, who's next?
For the past 4 seasons, Clemson's field goal kicking has been extremely solid (a big change from previous seasons), and that was due to Chandler Catanzaro. He made several big kicks and game-winners over his career (LSU, Wake Forest) and will be sorely missed. So who's going to take his spot: the easy money is on Ammon Lakip, who's a veteran guy. The other option will be freshman Alex Spence. I think Lakip will have the job coming out of fall camp, but I don't expect him to be the next Cat-man by any means.

That's just a few of the questions that I currently have, but there are many more and I'm sure you guys have some of your own. If there's a question you have, feel free to post it in the comment section.

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Clemson Basketball: The No Fun Zone

Clemson's Offensive Points Per Possession

I figured this blog may have more impact coming off of a win than a loss, so I decided to go ahead and write after Clemson's recent win over Georgia Tech instead of after their matchup tonight against #1 Syracuse.

Clemson basketball, woof. It is just not fun to watch. Even when they win, it's not fun. I called a buddy of mine after the game the other day and I told him, "Man, that was terrible. I got absolutely no joy from that, even though we won. That was not fun at all."

The Tigers just don't play good basketball. There can be a difference in being fun to watch, and playing good basketball, and Clemson is neither. I'm going to use a football analogy to try an explain this. In college football, teams like Stanford and Wisconsin aren't very fun to watch because they run the ball and grind it out, but they're still playing good football, so it's definitely watchable. The Clemson basketball team isn't fun to watch, and they don't even play good basketball, especially on the offensive end. The Tigers sport a 41.8% offensive efficiency, which needless to say is not stellar. Just take a look at the last two games, a 53-49 win over Florida State on the road and a 45-41 win over Georgia Tech at home. Those two games were horrible to watch. Clemson did absolutely nothing offensively. I received no joy from watching those games, even though the team I was cheering for won. The offense just has no identity, no scorers, and even the sets look terrible.

I just want Clemson to have one decent offensive player. Somebody who can get a bucket when needed. Brad Brownell has not done a good job on the offensive end, and it did not help that the player with the best offensive game, Devin Coleman, transferred from the team early in the season. What Brownell did with Coleman made no sense, he would play 30 minutes one game and then not get off the bench in the other. If I was Coleman, I would have been upset too. When he transferred, everybody said, "oh well he didn't get to play because he didn't play defense and didn't buy in on that end of the floor." Oh yeah? Well, I do not care how bad he was on defense, he scored enough on offense to make up for his supposed lack of defense. You have to have a few guys on your team who can get you a basket when needed, someone who can drive and pull-up and mid-range jumper, someone who can kickstart your team/offense. Clemson has approximately ZERO of those right now.

Attendance Average for the Past Ten Seasons

To wrap this up, Clemson has to get better offensively. That includes getting better offensive players and running better sets. The administration, athletic department, and coaches cannot get upset about attendance, and student attendance in particular, when the product on the floor is not great and is definitely not fun to watch. Attendance has declined in each of Brownell's seasons so far, and the product on the floor is the reason for that. 

Oliver Purnell calling the "Double Fist"

Sometimes I wish we could go back to the Oliver Purnell days when he was calling the 'ol "Double Fist," and Clemson was full-court pressing and getting up and down the court. Do not get me wrong, I think Brownell can be a good coach, but I am not completely sold on him just yet. He has to improve the Tigers on the offensive end, and hopefully he can figure out how to do that rather quickly. In the new look ACC, every game will be tough, and you have to have some scorers.


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A First Glance at Clemson's 2014 Schedule

The ACC released the 2014 football schedule this past Wednesday afternoon, which was a lot sooner than usual. The schedule usually isn't released until sometime in February, so Swofford was really on the ball this year. It's clear the reason the schedules used to take so long to come out was Maryland, who is now leaving the conference to go to the B1G. God, Maryland I hate you so much go away. I'm glad those Terp clowns are leaving, good riddance. Anyway, I digress. Here's a few quick thoughts on the 2014 Clemson Tiger Football Schedule:

August 30th at Georgia
-Two teams with new quarterbacks, should be a good one. Personally, I'm looking forward to heading down to Athens for the first time.

September 6th vs. South Carolina State
-Can't wait to hear their band again.

September 20th at Florida State
-Great to have a bye before the Seminoles, but they have one the week before too, so I don't know how much it will help. I'm ready to head back down to TallaNasty though, I already hear Bullwinkles calling my name. ($10 all you can drink FYI). *Also, going Athens and Tallahassee within a month of each other is going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

September 27th vs. North Carolina
-This game looks really tricky coming off of the FSU contest. I am excited to see T.J. Logan come to town.

October 4th vs. N.C. State
-Second home game in a row. Should be starting to cool down some by this game so hopefully it won't be scorching.

October 11th vs. Louisville
-First contest against the new conference foe. Bobby Petrino's offense scares me, but luckily they lost Teddy Bridgewater and hired Todd Grantham to coach the defense.

October 18th at Boston College
-I have heard it's a fun trip, but I doubt I'll be making it this year. I think Steve Addazio has this team going in the right direction.

October 25th vs. Syracuse
-Man, I hate these guys so much already. I hope we curb stomp them in the Valley and Dabo puts Shafer's sorry a** in a Crippler Crossface at midfield after the game.

November 6th at Wake Forest
-Thursday night game that could be a little tricky. However, the Demon Deacons have been severely lacking in the talent department the past few years so they should be no problem. (HA! that reminds me of the line in Angels in the Outfield where Danny Glover says, "There's a thing called talent, they don't have it!")

November 15th at Georgia Tech
-Screw the triple option.

November 22nd vs. Georgia State
-Ho hum, another snoozer. It's also probably going to be freezing at this point in the year.

November 29th vs. South Carolina
-There's nothing to be said. I'm already excited for this one.


Overall, I think this is as good of a schedule that Clemson could've hoped for. Bye week before FSU, ten days to prepare for GT, and a cupcake before the Gamecocks. Should be good season, I can't wait for August. Spot the damn ball.

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R.I.P. Jugheads

When I got on twitter Sunday night, I wasn't expecting anything really, I was just going to read some tweets to see what my friends were up to. Instead, I received some most disturbing news, Jugheads was closing. My twitter timeline was filled with people tweeting about Jugheads closing and how sad and heartbroken they were. It was like a bomb had been dropped on me. Like I had been stabbed in the heart with a dagger. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I even tweeted, "Wait, Jugheads is closing? WHY, GOD WHY?!"

For you guys that don't know about Jugheads, it was this great hotdog place in downtown Clemson with hotdogs named after former Clemson greats. My personal favorite was The Terry Allen, which came with chili and cheese. Get an order of sweet potato fries on the side and I was set.

I loved going to Jugheads for more reasons than the food, though. I always enjoyed the atmosphere and talking with former Clemson and Chicago Bears Tight End, Keith Jennings. They also had the best window seats of anywhere downtown to sit and watch people walk by. I had a lot of good times at Jugheads. From me and my buddy Brett eating at the window and shooting the breeze with Keith about the scenery walking by to all the nights after going DT where I decided that I had to have a hot dog.

One of my favorite memories was one night after DT when I ran into former Clemson & NFL Safety Michael Hamlin in Jugheads. I asked him where the "Mike Hamlin" was on the menu and told him he had to get Keith to put him on there. He thought it was hilarious and we joked to Keith about it all night and actually had a twitter conversation about it that night and the next day. Good times, good times for sure.

But anyway, I digress, I guess the old saying is true, "you don't know what you have until it's gone." I'd love to have one more Terry Allen. I hope that somewhere down the line Jugheads will reopen somewhere else in Clemson so that classes to come can enjoy it's awesomeness. Until then, I guess I'll have to keep reminiscing on the good old days.

Jugheads, gone but never forgotten.





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Battle for the Hardee's Trophy

Precursor: I'm sorry guys, it is just so hard for me to write about this game. My brain is just frazzled and I can't focus on anything so I know this blog is kind of all over the place. I'm so excited. I do hope I gave you guys some good information though. I hope you all have a good weekend, and if you head up to the game I hope you stay warm, safe, and have a great time.

It's Rivalry Week. One of the best weekends of the year in college football. Michigan-Ohio State, Oregon State-Oregon, Florida-Florida State, Alabama-Auburn, etc., and of course the one that means the most in my home state, Clemson vs. South Carolina. I've tried to stay somewhat reserved this week, getting too jacked up probably wouldn't have gone over too well with Thanksgiving and family coming into town, but man oh man this is a big game. I mean, this is the first time ever both teams have been ranked in the top-10 when they meet. The Gamecocks have won 17 straight at home. Connor Shaw has NEVER lost a game he started in Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers are playing for a spot in a BCS game. The past two years, I've felt supremely confident that Clemson was going to beat South Carolina, and everyone knows how that ended up. This season, I don't feel as confident in the Tigers, maybe that's a good sign for Clemson, maybe it's a good sign for the Gamecocks, who knows? It's gonna be a hell of a ballgame. Two top-ten teams, why wouldn't it be? The Vegas power polls have these two teams very close as well. I've seen them at 5 & 7, 6 & 10, 12 & 15, and 10 & 12. About a month ago, I thought that USC was going to win for sure. But now, slowly but surely, I've started to feel a little better about Clemson's chances.

The Breakdown

•               The key to this game comes down to the line of scrimmage, and whether or not Clemson can block South Carolina's front seven. The past few years, the Gamecocks have dominated up front. The Tigers seem to be better prepared to hold their own this season, however. The insertion of Isaiah Battle into the starting lineup the past two games has made a huge difference and really improved the right side of the O-Line, especially at right tackle. Battle has the potential to be a an NFL tackle one day and he'll have to play very well this weekend. He will have his hands full with Chaz Sutton, and I also believe the 'Cocks will move Jadeveon Clowney to that side to give him some snaps against Battle. Clowney dominated the game last season, totaling 4.5 sacks. Brandon Thomas will have to be on his game to somewhat contain No. 7. The guy on the SC D-line who really scares me however, is Kelcy Quarles at defensive tackle. He has had a great season and is a big player in the middle of the line. Last season, the Tigers tried to single block Clowney way too often, and I expect them to give Thomas some more help this season and chip him some with a TE, H-Back, or RB. Stanton Seckinger, Sam Cooper, Darrell Smith, and Roderick McDowell have to be up to the task. The Tigers have to run the ball effectively with quarterback Tajh Boyd, and call more designed runs for him. Clemson also has to utilize the screen game to the running backs and the tight ends. These two things will help contain the USC pass rush.

•               Clemson's offense has been somewhat vanilla since the Georgia game. In their other big game, Florida State, they were out of it before they had the chance to roll any new wrinkles out there. The Tigers have pretty much blown everyone else out, so they haven't need to break out a whole lot of new stuff. I expect they have some new things to throw at South Carolina this Saturday night.

•               One of these wrinkles could be Sammy Watkins running some wildcat. It was rumored that Clemson worked on it a lot the week before FSU, but got behind so quickly they never broke it out. 

•               Clemson has to run the ball effectively, and stick with it. A year ago, offensive coordinator Chad Morris went away from the run way too early, and it allowed the South Carolina defensive line to pin their ears back and go after Boyd.

•               Keeping Tajh upright is huge. If he can have time, he will be able to complete passes downfield on what I feel is a not a great secondary for the Gamecocks. Hampton is solid, but who knows how healthy Brison Williams will be and the other safety Chaz Elder is a freshman. With the emergence of Martavis Bryant over the last few games, teams won't be able to focus on Sammy Watkins as much. Watkins is due for a big game against the Gamecocks by the way, only totaling eight catches for 76 yards in his two career games against his rival. Both of these guys have the ability to have big games, and the Tigers will need them to do so.

•               Defensively, Clemson is much improved from a year ago. I think the question of how South Carolina will block Clemson is just as important as the other way around. Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett and crew have had a great season pressuring the quarterback, and they have over 100 tackles for loss. 

•               Clemson has to stop Mike Davis, have to. If he gets going, it will be a long night. They have shown the ability to do so though, as they contained 2,000-yard rusher Andre Williams to just 70-something yards. 

•               Two years ago, Connor Shaw killed the Tigers with his legs. He doesn't run as well as he used to, and the Clemson defense has improved against mobile quarterbacks.

•               The Tigers have to get off the field on third down. They're one of the best in the country (3rd, I believe) doing so this season, and they have to be able to do that and get their offense back on the field.

•               TE Busta Anderson is a baller for SC. He's tall and fast, and the Tigers have to make sure they have someone on him at all times.

•               Also, I totally expect Spurrier to call one of those play-action deep passes on the first drive of the game to either Shaq Roland or Damiere Byrd.

THE Game Prediction

Five years. Five longgggg years. Four in a row for the first time ever. South Carolina expects to win, and quite frankly I'm not sure if their players respect Clemson. 

“I can tell Tajh Boyd is scared back there. He ain’t no sitting duck, but you can see it in his eyes. He’s scared of our D line. We know that, coming into the game, we’ve got him shook already. Just get a couple hits on him, and it changes the whole game. He’s scared every time we play him.” - Jadeveon Clowney stated during SEC Media Days this summer. 

"@TajhB10 u kno u have never completed a pass on me are u gone change tht this yr?" - Victor Hampton tweeted at Tajh Boyd this past June. Tajh is pissed. Dabo Swinney is especially pissed. My sources tell me that Dabo was VERY pissed last year when D.J. Swearinger yelled/pointed at him on the sideline during the game. Dabo devoted extra film time to this game this past summer, and he will have this team ready to play. The key is for them to not be too uptight.  

However, this attitude doesn't just extend to South Carolina players. Their fans' thoughts on the game have totally changed. I was sitting at my little brother's basketball game the other night, and their were some young kids sitting a couple of rows in front of me. They were maybe 10-12 years old. An old man beside me leaned down and asked them who was going to win this weekend. Without hesitation, they said "the Gamecocks of course, Clemson's no good." This really hit home to me. All these kids know of is South Carolina winning four in a row over Clemson. I mean, they may not have even been born for 63-17! They don't realize they're down 65-41-4 in the all-time series, they use to lose all the time. We have to change that mentality back. Like my dad said to me a month or so ago, "I'm 55 years old, I've never had to put up with this. I've never seen them win four in a row, hell, barely even three in a row." My dad's tired of it. I'm tired of it. Clemson fans everyone are tired of it. Dabo's tired of it. Tajh is tired of it. Sammy is tired of it. The whole team is tired of it. 

South Carolina is just not as good as they have been the past few years. Their depth on defense isn't as vast as it has been, and the Tigers are going to take advantage. The offensive line will come to play. Watkins and Bryant have huge games. Vic Beasley goes off. Tajh Boyd has a game that cements him as the best quarterback in Tiger history, and gets his jersey retired. It's time to make the world right again and change things back to how they're supposed to be. We get another tombstone. The streak ends Saturday.

Clemson - 31

South Carolina - 24

It's about damn time.

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Clembarrassing, Hater Hotline, the Snake Pit, & More.

Clemson vs. Florida State

Wow. What a train wreck. From the very first play when Stanton Seckinger fumbled, it was all bad. I mean, I knew the Seminoles were good, I just didn't know they were that good. Those boys are the real deal. Granted, I don't think they're 37 points better than the Tigers, but I do think they're better. Florida State played an 'A' game, while Clemson played a 'F' game. We had chances to get back into it, after the TD pass to Sammy Watkins, Breeland had a pick and we got the ball around midfield down only 17-7. However, the drive stalled and the Tigers punted. They pinned FSU deep in their own territory and forced a 3-and-out and again got the ball around midfield only down 10. The drive moved into 'Nole territory before having to punt once more, and then a long FSU touchdown pass occurred and that was all she wrote. Let me say this as well, Famous Jameis Winston is the real deal, the kid looked amazing. I really wasn't even that mad after the game, it was almost comical. I wanted to be mad at their guys for beating us, but after seeing some of the things they said/did, it became very hard to do so. I loved Jameis saying, "I told them we weren't worried 'bout the noise, 'cause we gone bring the noise," and damnit he was right. I love that swagger/cockiness. Also, I was a huge fan of #5, Reggie Northrup I think it was, doing the robot and then hitting the TerRio "Ooh Kill 'Em" on the sideline. I busted out laughing when I saw that after the game. Here is a video of that -->

South Carolina @ Missouri 

The Gamecocks are going to win. I don't know why, but they just are. I've got that feeling. They're coming off a tough loss to Rocky Top and Mizzou is undefeated and #5 in the country, and no one is expecting the 'Cocks to win, so naturally they will. Clowney looked REALLY good last week against future NFLer "Tiny" Richardson, so maybe he's starting to turn it on. The Tigers are starting freshman Maty Mauck who is in line for only his second start so anything can happen. Connor Shaw is out, so I expect a heavy dose of Mike Davis this week. By the way, I was 100% wrong about Mike Davis. Coming out of high school, I said that he wasn't that good and that I didn't want him at Clemson, but now, that kid is a stud. I would love to have him on my team, so I apologize Mike for doubting you.
I digress, I know the hater hotline guy & my buddy Phil will be pleased with the starting QB for USC this weekend, "I think they oughta put Dylan Thompson in." New QB, I don't care. South Carolina wins it. #DylWithIt

Clemson @ Maryland

The Tigers travel to the Snake Pit, otherwise known as Byrd Stadium, for their last matchup with Maryland for who knows how many years. The Terps are hurting badly, their injury list has more people on it than will be at the game. Diggs, Out. Johnson, Out. Brown, Out. It's unbelievable. The main thing for Clemson will be how they recover mentally from that thrashing last weekend. The Tigers always have a tough time up in Maryland, but I think this Terrapin squad is too depleted to knock off the Tigers. Sorry Scott Van Pelt, you're my boy, but the Tigers take this one.

Follow me on twitter @K_Mart10