ketelonelogic on 
Riggs on 
AParker on 
Chili on Here’s our take this week, check out From Old Virginia for the rundown soon.
1. Take a look into your team’s past, as far back as you like. If you could pick one game and change its outcome, which would you choose and why?
So many spring to mind. Immediately, last year’s BC game and Auburn games are candidates. But I’m going to hit you with something that’s going to BLOW YOUR FUCKING MIND. I’d have us lose a game we won.
I would have us lose the 1982 Orange Bowl.
That National Championship was the best and worst thing to ever happen to Clemson, and I’m not alone in thinking that. It wasn’t a fluke that Clemson went undefeated, but it is important to realize that Clemson really came from behind teams like Penn State and Pittsburgh that year and eeked one out.
So, we lose to Nebraska. There is a very small possibility that the penalties levied on Clemson wouldn’t have been as severe; less of a “setting an example” sort of thing. Very small possibility and that’s not really what I’m trying to get at here. Clemson’s entire mindset is altered. Fan expectations become more realistic, creating less of a vitriolic environment for coaches and players. You’re not competing against Danny Ford. For that matter, maybe DF doesn’t clash with the administration like he did and is retained for a bit longer. Clemson could have focused more on building successful teams for this year than living up to hype. We’d likely avoid Hatfield, etc etc. The entire lineage of coaches since Danny would be changed. Clemson would be better off in the long run.
Marinate on that.
2. What non-ACC program most resembles yours?
Let’s see… what are we basing this on? Purely win-loss record? you have to find a team with a good past and good present that hates its present and thinks their past was great not just good. A team who has won in the past (questionable ethics are a plus (we’re talking about Pell-Ford era here, not the better Howard years)) and can’t shake that off. Auburn comes to mind. They seem to have the same overblown ego that some Clemson fans have had post-81 era, evidenced by the fact that they’re about to run off a good coach in Tubs. If only they had a lake…
3. Which do you prefer? The ACC of 2008: not too well respected around the nation, but a conference in which almost any team has a shot at the conference title? Or the ACC of 1998: getting plenty of respect from football pundits as a good conference, but dominated by one hegemonic superpower that we all hate?
The lack of national respect takes a backseat to our team tanking. I think the league is gearing up to be far, far better than it currently is. As it is now, it’s a mish-mash of good but not great teams beating up on each other. The funny thing is, the league is better now than it would be with a figurehead team like 90′s FSU or 80′s Clemson, but it gets more respect with a headliner team. I prefer it as it now, honestly.
4. Hey, it’s basketball season! What are your expectations for your team? What kind of season would make you happy?
We expect Clemson to be 3rd at best, behind UNC and Duke, but more likely 4th behind the aforementioned duo and Wake Forest. It’ll be tough for the Tigers to get to the ACC Tournament final again, but I think we’d be satisfied with them at least winning a game or two in the NCAA Tourney.
1Brian
on Nov 19, 2008 at 2:41 pm:
I think Clemson-Auburn is a very good comparison. Or maybe I’ve just convinced myself of that because you guys are both Tigers, both fan bases wear Orange, both played in the Peach Bowl last year, both are struggling/struggled with the decision to fire your coach given that either team hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype …
Well player, sir. Well played.
2William Davis
on Nov 19, 2008 at 6:22 pm:
I would change the “Puntrooskie” FSU game in football, and in basketball, the Elite Eight game against UConn where we gotta hosed out of making our first trip to the Final Four. Both of those games might have changed the direction of our program for a considerable time period.
3Tully
on Nov 20, 2008 at 10:32 am:
I would change 2003 FSU. If we lose that game, we would have been rid of Tommy Bowden a lot sooner, and potentially have picked up a better coach to turn us into a perennial winner. Since we won it, then shelacked a terrible Duke squad the next week, and then rocked a bad SC team 63-17, Bowden seemingly ‘saved’ his job. But looking back, that Clemson team was LOADED with talent. Whitehurst was in the midst of his (arguably) best season, Leroy Hill was crushing humans left and right, Tye Hill was developing VERY nicely (FSU int), and Justin Miller wasn’t a slouch, either. Futhermore, we had Youngblood as our deep threat at wide receiver, Derrick Hamilton doing his thing, and a strong screen option out of the backfield with Duane Coleman. Sure, some of those guys didn’t pan out in the NFL, but college is a different game and I say we were loaded then. In retrospect, that team grossly underperformed up to that FSU game and overperformed during and after it.
I think that Clemson fans hold the program up to a microscope as far as “how we are doing right now”. We create these expectations every August (sometimes media-fueled) on how our season will go based on our supposed talent level and the opposing teams’ talent level. We tend to ignore the TEAM aspect of it. This year especially, we went with the South Carolina train of thought, looked at our 4 and 5 star players and thought, “Gee, with this much talent, who is going to beat us?” Rather than focus on the reality that this is a team game and that it is VERY rare for one player to win games all on his own (unless your name is CJ Spiller), we thought, “Oh, with Cullen, Aaron, James, CJ, and Willy, we will score on every possession.” At the first sign of trouble, we either bitch, moan, and blame, or we jump ship and stop caring. I am no exception.
I remember a conversation Chili and I had in mid-August. We were talking about Clemson’s top-10 preseason ranking. I told him that back in April/May I thought we would have a decent squad but we definitely had issues on both sides of the ball. Yes, we have playmakers, but as shown in previous years, without the team coming together, we will lose a lot of games we shouldn’t. Then I promptly started beasting on some kool-aid. Here’s my point: WE BOTH AGREED THAT CLEMSON WAS TOO HIGH RANKED, yet there we were, excited as hell for the Bama game bc Clemson was “finally back.” We were/are as delusional as most Carolina fans, albeit without the constant loser-mentality. It is no coincidence that seasons in which we’re ranked to begin the season are generally disappointments, and seasons that we are unranked generally turn out to be satisfactory.
Anyways, back to my original point. We lose 2003 FSU. Bowden is axed. I can’t off the top of my head come up with any coaches that were available that year, but I’m fairly confident that ONE of them would be better than Bowden to get us over that god damn hump. Does anyone know the coaching-availability landscape back then?
I don’t know how everyone else feels, but I really think the “meh” level of coaching talent available this year, along with the amount of other high-profile openings is only hurting Clemson. I think that’s why TDP is pushing for it to be done 1 week after the Sakerlina game.
Sorry for such a long comment, I read the question and just had to answer/bitch.
4Willy Mac
on Nov 20, 2008 at 11:05 am:
“Sorry for such a long comment, I read the question and just had to answer/bitch.”
Should have finished it as: “… and just had to answer, bitch.”
5Tully
on Nov 20, 2008 at 11:16 am:
Haha, I wish i could make the edit still.