Dabo disses SEC depth

bamapuppy

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I am a realist, and I will agree that the SEC is more top heavy now than in the past. But, the ACC is a really weak conference. Ray Charles could see that as a fact.
I think Dabo needs to learn from Bobby Bowden. I never remember Bowden taking up for the weak ACC. Yes, he promoted Florida State, and had a great team, but it was always about Florida State being great. And, not about the ACC being, well much stronger than a FCS conference. Old Dominion, and East Carolina are regularly either beating, or competing with ACC schools.
 

CrimsonProf

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TiderinAZ hit on the point that proves Dabo - and, alas, some fellow posters - wrong.

The overall records and bowl records of each conferences are points well-taken, but the quality of lower and mid-tier of the ACC is not as stacked with talent as the SEC. Even when MSU was hanging around at 7-5, they had a handful of players that were NFL talent. They had players who could stack up with our own, many of whom could take our two deep. That's not true for most of the teams in the ACC, and, concerning Michigan and OSU, the same could be said for the Big 10.

Point being that when Alabama or LSU has been good, the rest of the our conference and division has also been good. It's made for a much more physical brand of football which means, yes, our players are dinged up and have more nagging injuries than others. That wasn't our problem in the NC game, but it is part of our experience - would be the same for any other SECW team - that does not quite affect Clemson.
 

RTR91

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The real question is, how many nfl quality players does Clemson face vs what Alabama does? Even middle of the pack MSU had three first round picks, compare that to Virginia.
The physicality of play in the sec is second to none.
Clemson faced 13 NFL draft picks in the ACC last year. The ACC had 28 picks in all last year, 6 of which came from Clemson.

Meanwhile the SEC had 64 picks, 10 of which came from Alabama. In all, Alabama played 39 NFL draft picks when playing SEC teams.

Matter of fact, Clemson played 10 draft picks when they played Texas A&M and South Carolina. In two games, they played 77% of the NFL draft picks they played in 9 ACC games.
 

selmaborntidefan

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The real question is, how many nfl quality players does Clemson face vs what Alabama does?
No, that isn't the question at all....because he wasn't saying, "The ACC is a better league than the SEC."


Even middle of the pack MSU had three first round picks, compare that to Virginia.
Now, you're citing the same Virginia team that absolutely mauled South Carolina, who had 3 NFL picks, right?

This whole "physicality" argument is literally an exercise in, "Let me throw something out there that cannot be addressed in any measurable way and hope nobody notices."
 
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TideEngineer08

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https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/27340866/dabo-not-buying-sec-grind-wore-bama


...aaaaand it begins...

I like Dabo and truly respect what he has done at Clemson. Methinks he talks too much, though. He's playing to the home crowd who always view themselves with a chip on their shoulder and a chip is what got HIM to where he is (from walkon to head coach and national champ). I get it. But I also tire of it... even if he were correct.
I don't like him and I think he is a moron. But he's a great recruiter and motivator, and his staff loves him and tends to stay with him.

He's burned all his bridges with me, as an Alabama fan. Never say never, sure, and the hiring of a coach someday is well outside of my hands so its not my decision anyway. But, he's dead to me.
 

Relayer

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The only thing I really care about is that they beat us last season. Talk is cheap (both ways).
 

selmaborntidefan

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TiderinAZ hit on the point that proves Dabo - and, alas, some fellow posters - wrong.
I must have missed that part where Dabo said anything resembling, "The ACC is better than the SEC."

Can you show me where that is???

Because his exact point is true: the SEC is NOT what it was, plain and simple.


The overall records and bowl records of each conferences are points well-taken, but the quality of lower and mid-tier of the ACC is not as stacked with talent as the SEC.
Which would be relevant if he had said the ACC was better. He didn't.

Even when MSU was hanging around at 7-5, they had a handful of players that were NFL talent. They had players who could stack up with our own, many of whom could take our two deep. That's not true for most of the teams in the ACC, and, concerning Michigan and OSU, the same could be said for the Big 10.
This is irrelevant data.

"Oh, we played more guys who are playing in the NFL than the ACC did" doesn't even touch what he's saying.

South Carolina had 3 NFL picks, UVA had zero.
UVA 28 USCe 0 on the scoreboard.



Point being that when Alabama or LSU has been good, the rest of the our conference and division has also been good. It's made for a much more physical brand of football which means, yes, our players are dinged up and have more nagging injuries than others. That wasn't our problem in the NC game, but it is part of our experience - would be the same for any other SECW team - that does not quite affect Clemson.
What's funny is that this is nothing but an excuse because we lost.

If we had WON the game in January, everyone in Crimson Nation would be blowing the old, "See, they don't play anybody in the regular season and we get ready for those big foes with all those monsters, NFL draft picks, ad nauseum something something."

But since we lost, we simply pivot and say, "Well, they had an easier route to get to the game."

Fact is, the SEC is NOT what it was during the consecutive titles won era, which is all he was saying.
 

BamaFlum

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How much practice time during the year did Dabo work on Alabama because of how weak the ACC is?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Bama Czar

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https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/27340866/dabo-not-buying-sec-grind-wore-bama


...aaaaand it begins...

I like Dabo and truly respect what he has done at Clemson. Methinks he talks too much, though. He's playing to the home crowd who always view themselves with a chip on their shoulder and a chip is what got HIM to where he is (from walkon to head coach and national champ). I get it. But I also tire of it... even if he were correct.

Of course, the two toughest games on Clemson's schedule are both SEC teams (Tx A&M and S. Carolina)....
 

CrimsonForce

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Chris Low needs to address who is saying this which is the premise of the entire "story"

"Coach Dabo Swinney isn't buying that Alabama was worn out from the grind of a more rigorous schedule and wasn't as well-rested as Clemson a year ago in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game."

Where is this coming from other than maybe some message board talk? The national narrative has been that Clemson cleaned our clock and were the better team. Who is saying we were worn out or making any other excuses? This is an example of the media making up stories to manufacture drama. Normally Chris Low is better than this. This is why I get almost all my sports news from The Athletic instead of ESPN or other media outlets..
 

TideEngineer08

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Fact is, the SEC is NOT what it was during the consecutive titles won era, which is all he was saying.
This is because of coaching, not talent. The SEC still produces a great deal more NFL talent than any other conference. But in the heyday era we had Coach Saban, Meyer, Miles had not yet suffered his decline, Richt, Spurrier had South Carolina competing at a high level. Then Meyer imploded and left Florida. Spurrier melted down. Miles finally ground to a halt at LSU, and Richt and Georgia finally parted ways. The replacements at those schools have been mixed at best.

All I'm saying is that while you are certainly correct, I do think the effect it has on the field on the players is still real. That is to say that playing a Mississippi State, while you win 24-0, is still a far more physically demanding game than playing a Syracuse.
 

Bamabuzzard

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I actually agree with Dabo regarding the SEC isn't the meat grinder it was a few years ago. Yes, compared to other conferences, there are still more NFL players that come out of the SEC. But from a team perspective, It's two or three elite teams deep then the drop off from the elite teams to the middle tier teams is bigger than it was five or six years ago. The middle tier teams the past few years aren't as good as the middle tier teams were five or six years ago. They just aren't. But as Dabo said below, that doesn't mean he's saying the ACC is the greatest conference either. Him saying the SEC isn't as deep as it has been doesn't automatically mean he's saying the ACC is better. It seems that is what he was trying to communicate.


"At the end of the day, I'm never going to be the guy running around with the flag saying, 'We're the best conference in the world, the greatest conference,'" Swinney said. "I've never done that and never will do that. All I do is stand up and say, 'Hang on. We don't take a backseat to anybody.' The SEC is the exact same way. If I were over there, I'd be saying the same thing."
 

selmaborntidefan

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What's amusing to me is how many people on this board will say they NEVER pull for SEC teams in other games and reference all the Kramer/Fulmer shenanigans and no fair break......but the moment somebody criticizes the conference in any way, they jump up to defend the very conference they profess to despise.

People are funny that way.
 

RTR91

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No, that isn't the question at all....because he wasn't saying, "The ACC is a better league than the SEC."




Now, you're citing the same Virginia team that absolutely mauled South Carolina, who had 3 NFL picks, right?

This whole "physicality" argument is literally an exercise in, "Let me throw something out there that cannot be addressed in any measurable way and hope nobody notices."
Dabo commented on the depth of the SEC, right? Bringing up the quality (aka NFL Draft Picks) is evidence he's wrong in his claim.

What's amusing to me is how many people on this board will say they NEVER pull for SEC teams in other games and reference all the Kramer/Fulmer shenanigans and no fair break......but the moment somebody criticizes the conference in any way, they jump up to defend the very conference they profess to despise.

People are funny that way.
You're smarter than this. You know the two things are not at all equal. Cheering for SEC teams is not the same as saying "our conference is full of great players."
 

crimsonaudio

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You're smarter than this. You know the two things are not at all equal. Cheering for SEC teams is not the same as saying "our conference is full of great players."
Aye, i can hate a team whilst still recognizing they're stacked with talent. How is that hard to understand?
 

Tider6972

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Agreed. He is trying to prop up the weak league that is the ACC. Funny thing is that even as a 2 time National Championship winning coach and fresh off of a 4 TD rout in their last game the tongue wagging reeks of the barney mentality that we are all familiar with around here. Seems Clempson really is Auburn with a lake.
Sure he's pumping up his league, just as surely as he's taking up for His Team, His Players, and, yes, His his league.... that's his job and responsibility.


Dabo has done, and Is Doing, an incredible, unbelievable job - at Klempson!!!
This Bama Man is very pleased for and proud of him! ... in every respect.

....and he isn't disrespecting you tender Bama fans' feelings - unless you want to be hurt! lol

He's a Bama Great Player, and he's a Bama Great Alumnus....and Oh Yeah, ANOTHER Bama Great Coach!
 

RTR91

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Sure he's pumping up his league, just as surely as he's taking up for His Team, His Players, and, yes, His his league.... that's his job and responsibility.


Dabo has done, and Is Doing, an incredible, unbelievable job - at Klempson!!!
This Bama Man is very pleased for and proud of him! ... in every respect.

....and he isn't disrespecting you tender Bama fans' feelings - unless you want to be hurt! lol

He's a Bama Great Player, and he's a Bama Great Alumnus....and Oh Yeah, ANOTHER Bama Great Coach!
Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.
 

CrimsonProf

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Sure he's pumping up his league, just as surely as he's taking up for His Team, His Players, and, yes, His his league.... that's his job and responsibility.


Dabo has done, and Is Doing, an incredible, unbelievable job - at Klempson!!!
This Bama Man is very pleased for and proud of him! ... in every respect.

....and he isn't disrespecting you tender Bama fans' feelings - unless you want to be hurt! lol

He's a Bama Great Player, and he's a Bama Great Alumnus....and Oh Yeah, ANOTHER Bama Great Coach!
No, he is the Clemson coach, and until such time as he has an office on Bryant Drive, I will regard him as the coach of another team.

Because, you know, he is.
 

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