College Football 2015-16: Raising Arizona Gold
- Thread starter stringertom
- Start date
Power Player
Bionic Poster
The NYE playoffs were a complete dud in terms of competitiveness. But the Clemson Bama game should be awesome.
Really think they need to do 8 teams and never put the 4 best teams on NYE again. This was clearly a money grab to try and appease all the old committee guys who rake in money off the bowl games.
You could even hear the announcers making way too big of a deal out of certain plays ( the first long pass Coker completed comes to mind) just because I am quite sure the Producers told them to play it up. It was a joke, and college football deserves better.
That being said, I hope Clemson wins and gives the ACC 2 Natties in 3 years.
Really think they need to do 8 teams and never put the 4 best teams on NYE again. This was clearly a money grab to try and appease all the old committee guys who rake in money off the bowl games.
You could even hear the announcers making way too big of a deal out of certain plays ( the first long pass Coker completed comes to mind) just because I am quite sure the Producers told them to play it up. It was a joke, and college football deserves better.
That being said, I hope Clemson wins and gives the ACC 2 Natties in 3 years.
mikeler
Moderator
Me too!
stringertom
Bionic Poster
The Big Toaster is known for producing exciting finishes in championship games...Super Bowl XLII (Giants/Pats Helmet Catch), XLIX (Pats/Seahawks The Butler Did It) and BCS Championship 2011 (Auburn/Oregon Michael Dyer Immaculate Knee). Let's hope next Monday's game is another classic in Glendale.
osutennis24
Semi-Pro
f'n Sparty
this is why you don't send a team fro Michigan to do a man's job. Still can't believe we lost to those ****heads
this is why you don't send a team fro Michigan to do a man's job. Still can't believe we lost to those ****heads
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Harbaugh vs Meyer will be the coaching rivalry for Big 10 dominance into the next decade.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
You beat me to it...I was gonna say at least you had a beautiful day to scan the beauty of the San Gabriel Mountains......at least it's not raining
osutennis24
Semi-Pro
lol Iowa....good choice there Rose Bowl, ugh
stringertom
Bionic Poster
What? No love for Jack Pardee, the mad scientist John Jenkins, Heisman winner Andre Ware, David Klingler and the Run&Shoot offense of the late 80's/early 90's???
You should hope Herman stays, unlike Briles and Sumlin but the do-re-mi has to be there.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Yeoman era was strong but led to the sanctions Pardee had to deal with. It was amazing that Ware won the Heisman without the chance to play to play a bowl game. Very well deserved reward for a good kid!
Kevin T
Hall of Fame
.....at least it's not raining
So r2, other than the dressing down your Hawks received, how was the trip?
MiK,
Please tell me you're going to AZ this weekend!?
mikeler
Moderator
So r2, other than the dressing down your Hawks received, how was the trip?
MiK,
Please tell me you're going to AZ this weekend!?
Negative on the trip. I didn't even go to the Clemson-Oklahoma game in Orlando last year! I was playing tennis and I kept hearing super loud cheers from the stadium about a mile away that night. So I knew it was good news for us since Clemson fans typically travel well.
Every year, my wife and I say that we need to go up to Clemson for a game. We've been saying that now for the past 15 years. As you can see, we are lazy fans. I like my big screen TV too much!
r2473
G.O.A.T.
The ticket prices are staying really high. I wouldn't go either.
It was really good. We stayed in Long Beach right on the harbor. Drive into Pasadena was really easy Friday morning. Great seats for the parade and good enough seats for the game. Weather was great the entire time.
We always wanted to go to the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade once. This year was perfect for that.
mikeler
Moderator
I was in Pasadena many years ago in August. It hit 100 degrees every day. A short drive to the coast and it was 70 degrees! That still boggles my mind.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Just saw the ESPN piece on Lachlan The Tiger, the stuffed tiger found by the Clemson sports photographer Ken Scar and named for a son of a Tigers family who died at two from a rare form of leukemia. Dry eyed I was not after watching the piece.
Kevin T
Hall of Fame
Glad you had fun. The harbor area of Long Beach is nice. A Doc I work with was with his family at Disneyland over the holiday and said there were a ton of Iowa fans in full regalia. I had the same experience with Michigan St fans a couple of years ago. The middle-westerners certainly take advantage of bowl games in nice climates.
Kevin T
Hall of Fame
Shame on you, mikeler! This is Clemson we're talking about...might not happen again for another 35-40 years.
It's like Halley's Comet...experience it while you can.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
1981 was the year and it's exactly 1981 miles from Clemson to Glendale.Shame on you, mikeler! This is Clemson we're talking about...might not happen again for another 35-40 years.
mikeler
Moderator
Shame on you, mikeler! This is Clemson we're talking about...might not happen again for another 35-40 years.
The way they are recruiting lately, it might be sooner than that.
mikeler
Moderator
The coach that year for Clemson was Danny Ford, a former Alabama player. Our current coach was also a former Alabama player.
Kevin T
Hall of Fame
How many reasons do you need, Mik!? 1981...Bama coaching pedigree...Dabo leaving for the Bama job next year after Saban bolts to the NFL...you can go to Alice Cooper's restaurant and get a "Big Unit" foot long hot dog...the stars are aligned!!
mikeler
Moderator
NOOOOOOOOOO!
mikeler
Moderator
Are NCAA sanctions looming? Obviously Lane Kiffin will take over when Saban bolts. He's used to that
@mikeler, give us your analysis, keys to victory for Clemson, etc. I want to know what to watch for (and I don't want to listen to ESPN).
Well, here is my thinking. On defense, we had to put 9 guys around the box to stop Dalvin Cook of FSU. Once we did that, the Noles were toast. We have a shutdown corner (think Richard Sherman like) in Mackensie Alexander. Our corner on the other side gets picked on because of Alexander. That's actually been a good thing because he has really come on throughout the year. Alexander will shut down Ridley, the group tackling should help limit the damage Henry will do but let's face it, he will probably still get 150 yards or more. The key I think is how the other receivers of Alabama step up. If they can make plays, Bama will win.
On offense, we won't be able to run up the middle. Watson will have to pass more than normal which he is more than capable of doing. Boston College shut down our run game but Watson had over 400 yards passing against the #1 rated defense. My big concern is that we end up with 600 yards but only 21 points. Some of our games have been like that where we just don't finish drives with points.
Special teams is a weakness of Clemson. With that being said, expect a trick play from the Tigers. They will go all out to win this game.
I'm having trouble seeing how Alabama scores on us especially after holding Oklahoma and their prolific offense to just 17 points. FSU ran the pro style offense against us with a great running back and only put up 13. I think our style matches up well with Alabama but this is football, anything can happen.
Watch the Clemson defense on 4th and 1. We have been excellent all year at stuffing the run in that situation.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Hoping for a game as excite as USC-Texas!
More good ACC vibes from this die-hard Seminole!
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I thought FSU did well against Clemson and kept it real close until the 4th Q considering we did not have a QB this year. Houston came in to that bowl game knowing we had no QB and just sold out against the run and it worked. They actually played us better than Clemson did, but Clemson had a lot more at stake and couldn't gamble as hard.
From the FSU/Clemson game I saw that Clemson's offense could be stopped. We did it for a while and if we had a good QB, we would have probably been able to put enough points up to win or lose in the last minute. FSU contained the QB runs for a long time and made him throw. That kept the game within striking distance for a long time until the FSU D just tired out from being on the field too much.
So how this relates to Bama is that Bama does not allow QB runs. They have not given up 100 rushing yards to a QB. This means Watson will have to make throws to win the game. I think a lot of people believe that will give Bama the edge and the win. And it is a pretty logical way to think. But I think Watson is the better QB. Hell, Coker was an FSU backup who transferred because he could not beat out Jameis Winston. Watson is the X factor and I believe he will get Clemson the win. This may be wishful thinking, but Clemson has a really strong defense and I am not sure if Bama has seen a team with this strong of defense who also has an offense on the other side of the ball. The best defense Bama has seen was UF, but UF's offense was so bad that they ran their D down by the third quarter.
I like Clemson by 5. But mainly hoping for an entertaining game.
From the FSU/Clemson game I saw that Clemson's offense could be stopped. We did it for a while and if we had a good QB, we would have probably been able to put enough points up to win or lose in the last minute. FSU contained the QB runs for a long time and made him throw. That kept the game within striking distance for a long time until the FSU D just tired out from being on the field too much.
So how this relates to Bama is that Bama does not allow QB runs. They have not given up 100 rushing yards to a QB. This means Watson will have to make throws to win the game. I think a lot of people believe that will give Bama the edge and the win. And it is a pretty logical way to think. But I think Watson is the better QB. Hell, Coker was an FSU backup who transferred because he could not beat out Jameis Winston. Watson is the X factor and I believe he will get Clemson the win. This may be wishful thinking, but Clemson has a really strong defense and I am not sure if Bama has seen a team with this strong of defense who also has an offense on the other side of the ball. The best defense Bama has seen was UF, but UF's offense was so bad that they ran their D down by the third quarter.
I like Clemson by 5. But mainly hoping for an entertaining game.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Bama INT stops the elementary, my dear Watson momentum.
Just walked in from work to see what I hope I will be a classic!
Just walked in from work to see what I hope I will be a classic!
Power Player
Bionic Poster
The Bama onside kick may have been the most perfect one I have seen at the college level.
stringertom
Bionic Poster
Special teams were indeed the difference and Bama simply outcoached Clemson on the onsides kick. They must have seen film and practiced that very difficult pooch kick all week to pull it off so perfectly. The KO return was just superior speed on the part of Drake.
mikeler
Moderator
Our offense stunk a decade ago, so we got Chad Morris and improved greatly there. Our defense gave up 70 points to West Virginia 5 or so years ago which got us Venerables as defensive coordinator. The poor special teams play should be enough for Dabo to seek a new special teams coach.
Our main issue was the coverage mistakes. You can't just leave the tight end 20 yards open multiple times in a game and expect to win. I know we lost Alexander at the end of the first half but still, c'mon. 550 yards of offense wasn't enough last night. #bagsundermyeyesthismorning
Our main issue was the coverage mistakes. You can't just leave the tight end 20 yards open multiple times in a game and expect to win. I know we lost Alexander at the end of the first half but still, c'mon. 550 yards of offense wasn't enough last night. #bagsundermyeyesthismorning
osutennis24
Semi-Pro
I believe Clemson outplayed Bama last night. But mental errors cost them that game
Kevin T
Hall of Fame
I agree. The best D in the nation had a VERY hard time with Watson. He'll be a beast next year. You can't ask for more from Watson, the receivers and their O and D lines. The two blown secondary reads are inexcusable. A tight end DOES NOT go for 200+ receiving yards. Let me correct myself...a tight end SHOULD NOT go for 200+ receiving yards.
Clemson had 4 very big mistakes: the 2 blown secondary coverages, the kick return (Drake is fast but kick returns are almost always a function of a poor kick/poor coverage/poor tackling) and the on-side kick (all credit to the Bama kicker-might have been the best pooch kick of all-time). Like Mik said, 550 yards of offense wasn't enough last night but it SHOULD be enough, unless you're playing in the Big 12 or Mountain West .
mikeler
Moderator
I agree. The best D in the nation had a VERY hard time with Watson. He'll be a beast next year. You can't ask for more from Watson, the receivers and their O and D lines. The two blown secondary reads are inexcusable. A tight end DOES NOT go for 200+ receiving yards. Let me correct myself...a tight end SHOULD NOT go for 200+ receiving yards.
Yeah, this sums up the game well. Probably should have been a game we win by double digits had we played as mistake free as Alabama who had no turnovers and no major mistakes on defense. Yes they gave up a lot of yards but notice how little room Watson often had to make his throws. Meanwhile, most of us here can hit a tight end with nobody around him.
osutennis24
Semi-Pro
Today was a good day