We joined the SEC in 1991, since then we have beat Clemson 10 times in 29 games. That's a win percentage of 34%. In our all-time matchups, our win percentage is 35% over 117 games. How exactly has joining the SEC helped us head to head with them?
What would be better? Clempson left out in the cold or having to compete in the SEC?
- Thread starter uscusc1987
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He limited his analysis to the past 8 years so that's why I did it that way
Even if this was remotely true; the second this would happen you would have Dabo bolting to protect his legacy at Clempson.
Yeah now, Clemson is as well equipped to handle an SEC schedule as any other team. But their build 8-10 years ago doesn’t happen so seamlessly with an SEC schedule. Those BCS appearances do not happen with an SEC schedule. And so the build is much more difficult. They fully took advantage of their ACC slate. And it’s an advantage to this day. Their 1st team is healthy because the 2nd team plays major minutes. Their 2nd team is good for the same reason. But now, after building for about a decade, they are well positioned to be among the favorites in any conference. But it doesn’t happen, at least at the pace it did, we’re they in the SEC back then.
What are you trying to prove? You single out that 2018 year but then try to average that with the grind of the last 4 years?
Strawman argument at it's finest. You can wave your magic wand all you want but no one is fooled.
2018 was arguably the worst Alabama team in 2010. If you look at that year, was an abysmal year as a whole for the SEC and Clempson didn't necessarily knock it out of the park with the other SEC teams they played.
Keep going back passed 2017 and further you will eventually hit a brick wall on how Clempson was amazing until they played someone in the SEC or another non-ACC team in the post season.
Take each year separately and it shows a better picture than what you are trying to paint;
2020
Clemson
Blew out ACC and lost to ND in OT regular season but then won in ACCG
Blown out by Ohio State who was blown out by Alabama
2020
Alabama
NC and literally blew out everyone they played except Florida in the SECCG
2019
Clemson
Typical year against the ACC but almost lost to UNC who had a 7-6 record that year
Blown out by LSU in NC game
2019
Alabama
Lost to LSU and Auburn in close games
2018
Clemson
Typical ACC year; barely got by a 9-4 Texas A&M, didn't really crush a 7-6 South Carolina
Blew out an Alabama team that was probably their worst team in 10+ years.
2018
Alabama
Barely got by Georgia in SECCG
Kinda close game with Oklahoma
That’s becausethey play 1 SEC team a year. Let them run the gauntlet of Alabama, LSU, UGA and UF in a season and see how they fare.
Agreed. But the SEC money was supposed to be a better advantage than that. At least according to some.
To make the comparison real, pick Alabamas schedule.
They don't play those 4 teams (onviously). Does anyone play those 4 teams in a year?
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Not only did Alabama have close defeats to Louisiana State and Auburn, but they also loss Tua for the season against Mississippi State. Who knows what could of happen if Tua would of played in the Auburn game, but than again Alabama did give up 40 plus points to Auburn. If Alabama would of beat Auburn then i think it is very possible Alabama would of made the college playoffs.
What I remember the year prior when clemson destroyed alabama was in the SECCG that season, I remember that Hurts came off the bench to spark a rally to beat Georgia. I can not remember that if Tua was injured or Saben just decided to pull him. The next game, when Alabama played Oklahoma in the Orange Fedex Hard Rock Cafe bowl, I remember Alabama jumped on a huge lead, but Oklahoma slowly reduced the Alabama lead but Alabama still ended up winning. Those two games signaled a warning that Alabama was off. clemson was the better team that year and deserved the championship.
I think the smartest thing that the clemson coach has ever done was promoting Tony Elliott from running backs coach to co offensive coordinator. That paid off at the very start and clemson has not looked back. My hope is Mr. Sankey will poach Tony Elliott from clemson and ooffer him vice chair of the SEC. This would not kill clemson, but i think it would hamper them
The other advantage that clemson has over Alabama is that clemson has had really not a lot of changes in the last six years with their coaches where as Alabama is like a revolving door of coaches coming and going. In the last five years, Saben has had, i think, five coaches ending up taking head coaching jobs.
I still think that if clemson would of played in the SEC last season and played Florida and Texas A&M, that Florida and Texas A&M could of matched clemson point for point and who knows how the games would of turned out. clemson could of been kept out of the playoffs.
So let’s say Clemsux is definitely the class of the ACC and bama the SEC. So for all those who want to compare the leagues and try to somehow say the tater path is as tough as being in the SEC....answer this:
In the ACC, who would be the LSU, UGA, UF, Tamu, Auburn?
In the ACC, who would be the LSU, UGA, UF, Tamu, Auburn?
In the last 15 years or so, clemson had multiple series with Texas A&M and Auburn and maybe one series with Georgia and a single game with Alabama. So at times they actually had two regular season games against the SEC but I do understand the meaning of your post.
If Auburn made it as SECCG winner; they would have had to go through LSU, Alabama, and Georgia in the regular season with possibly playing Florida in the SECCG playoff or in the regular season.
If South Carolina made it as the SECCG winner; they would have had to go through Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, and either LSU or Alabama depending on who was on top.
You know the drill; Tennessee? Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and possibly Alabama again if not LSU in the SECCG.
So short answer; yes some of those teams do have to play 4 or more traditional powerhouses to make it to the playoffs.
Ignoring big regular season nonconference games and any medicore teams that still went on to beat other top conference teams in their non-SEC games.
Alabama in 2020; Had to beat a 9-1 Texas A&M, 8-2 Georgia, 8-4 Florida
2019; 8-5 Texas A&M, 8-5 Tennessee, Lost to 15-0 LSU, Lost to 9-4 Auburn
2018; Not going to even do this one, Except for Georgia was the worst the SEC had done in almost 2 decades
2017; 9-4 LSU, Lost 10-4 Auburn, (Auburn beat Georgia in regular season but lost in SECCG)
2016; 9-4 Tennessee, 8-4 LSU, 8-5 Auburn, 9-4 Florida
2015; Lost to 10-3 Mississippi, 10-3 Georgia, 8-5 Texas A&M, 9-4 Tennessee, 9-3 LSU, 9-4 MSU, 10-4 Florida
Just like the phrase 'Any Given Sunday' is used for the NFL; the same is for the SEC. If I start going back further than this; then I'll have to start bringing in how Clempson was getting dominated by South Carolina and even losing games to Kentucky.
Part of the SEC gauntlet is that there's hardly any free games. Home crowds make a difference and most every team goes in fighting regardless of who they are playing.
South Carolina and Georgia have an interesting relationship the last ~20 years as there's been plenty of time where the better team didn't actually win. There's times South Carolina was actually better than Georgia and Jawja pulled it off. Same where Georgia was a much better team and South Carolina found the win.
That type of play happens almost in every game played in the SEC. Watching Vandys Zach Cunningham play against other SEC East team was fun to watch. Even Vandy has 19 active players in the NFL right now.
Auburn plays three of the four annually, perhaps all four every eight years or so.
Holy inserting random defense point Robin...
What in the world are you going off at Captain False Dichotomy?
Look at what I replied to;
I was giving examples of teams that do have to play that schedule every year.
But back to the point you are trying to extract from my response.
You are entitled to your own opinion about comparing a SEC schedule to an NFL schedule.
Singling out Alabama to claim my post is ridiculous is about the same as trying to say the Patriots had an easy path to the Super Bowl with Tom Brady.
Of course the margin of victory for Alabama is going to be high. They've been dominating most of the SEC since 2009. They still had games every year against SEC opponents that gave them all that they could handle despite how strong their teams were. Singling out Alabama does not negate as a whole that any given Saturday; an SEC team could knock off anyone in the conference regardless of how good they are.
One way I believe Clempson to the SEC is good or Carolina is that i think a 9 game league schedule is coming. For Carolina to play 9 SEC games plus Clempson every year leaving only two games we can schedule ourselves leaves a difficult road to bowl eligibility as we rebuild our program. With CU in the league, even if we go to 9 league games it leaves the balance of the schedule for us basically the same.
Clempson being in the SEC is not a possibility. Dabo and the AD would not allow this current GRAVY TRAIN to to be interrupted . Just Think about it could you imagine having their 5 Star Store Bought players and playing their Cup Cake schedule. They have the perfect scenario. If they were in the SEC they would lose probably 3 games a year, and would not have their annual automatic playoff birth. It is not humanly possible for a human to hate anything as much as I hate Clempson.
Actually, by your own admission, the short answer was no, teams don't play all 4 of those except in a rare occasion for a singular specific team, auburn. 4 quality teams, yes, but those 4 specific teams, no. (Whuch was my point)
I get the argument, and I'm not disagreeing with the sec being far tougher.
My issue was asking if clemson could play alabama and lsu and georgia and florida. You picked the top two of each division, something that is rarely if ever done by current sec teams.
I still say, just take bama's schedule. If clemson wants to argue success in the sec due to comparing to Alabama, put them in that schedule. Not a made up one of all the best sec teams that no one in the sec actually plays. Just give them bama's schedule.
Except that Bama (and only bama) seems to not follow that rule, given their results.
For the rest, I would agree.
When you are on top, that technically eliminates a 'better' team from the list too
Try bringing up the years of Alabama playing in the SEC between 1997-2007 to an Alabama fan. You will most likely get crickets.
Smoot Smack - 2000
Whether we like it or not, Clemson is basically at Alabama's level right now. Both of those programs are capable of putting 5-6 players in the NFLs first round depending on players on their team eligible for the draft. I bet right now both have 8-12 players on their roster who will ultimately be first rounders. Clemson also has continuity in their staff that hardly any program can mirror, so you combine that with recruiting and you have a team that will contend for a championship every year. It sucks but it's reality, they will probably be preseason number 1 or number 2 again this year, and next year as well.When you are on top, that technically eliminates a 'better' team from the list too
Try bringing up the years of Alabama playing in the SEC between 1997-2007 to an Alabama fan. You will most likely get crickets.
Smoot Smack - 2000
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Clemson would have more games like this so their chances of dropping a few would definitely increase.
As I remember they could have easily lost this one without the bad call.
www.espn.com
As I remember they could have easily lost this one without the bad call.
Inside the wild, controversial Clemson-Texas A&M finish
There was a questionable goal-line fumble. There was an angry coach. There was a circus catch for a TD, followed by a failed two-point conversion. Here's how it went down.
Right now, name the programs in the SEC who are better than them, there is one and they are basically neck and neck. Would they have tougher games than the ACC provides, of course but outside of Bama they are better than every other team in our conference.Clemson would have more games like this so their chances of dropping a few would definitely increase.
As I remember they could have easily lost this one without the bad call.
Inside the wild, controversial Clemson-Texas A&M finish
There was a questionable goal-line fumble. There was an angry coach. There was a circus catch for a TD, followed by a failed two-point conversion. Here's how it went down.
I thought USC had an agreement that no other SC school could come in, like GA and KY has? So no Clemson, no GT, and no Louisville is my understanding unless that is no longer true.
I’m not arguing how good they are. But their opener against Georgia this year would be an every year thing. Along with 2-3 more tests. Not just a one time game followed by 4 straight games where they can get by playing backups for a half.
And they could very well lose that game.
Few schools can pay the exit fees (grant of rights) like Oklahoma and Texas can. It's a big picture move. Ask Maryland.
