Top 25 / conference disparity

BamaNation

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AP Top 25 is out
https://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings?appsrc=sc

SEC : 4 of top 10 / 6 overall
ACC : 1 / 1
Big10/11 : 3 / 5
Big12 : 1 / 3
Pac12 : 0 / 3

Assuming I counted correctly, SEC & Big10/11 are far beyond others. Of course some of this may shift as we & they beat each other up in coming weeks but it is inordinately clear that the ACC is non-existent. Clemson is the F$U of the late 80s/ 90’s with zero competition to worry about in-conference and yet they’re somewhat struggling in winning some of those games.

I don’t know if its better to have their or our schedule assuming we both get to playoffs. Thoughts?







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GrayTide

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Good question, playing better competition, in theory, should make a team better prepared for the stretch run where there are no gimmes. OTOH, playing a weaker schedule allows a team to pretty much sleep walk through the season, stay healthy, and prepare for those final two games. The short answer is I am not sure, both have their upside and downside. Good answer, huh.
 

B1GTide

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Easy - to win the CFP, you have to first get into the CFP. I would much rather be playing in the ACC or PAC.
 

PA Tide Fan

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I'd rather have the easier schedule. You can pull the starters earlier in the game thus reducing the risk of injury to key players. It's also easier on the coaching staff because they don't have to spend all their time looking at next week's opponent and can spend some time studying potential playoff opponents. In the championship a year ago Clemson may have been a bit more fresh for the game because they played a rather soft Notre Dame team in the semifinal while we were busy chasing Kyler Murray and his receivers all over the field.
 

B1GTide

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I agree but assume my question is more about “once you’re in” ... is it better to have been tested or rested?
Clemson's performance over the last 4 years tells me that being tested is not as important with the current state of play in college football as it was 10 years ago. IMO, it is most important to arrive healthy and while still growing as a team. That can be accomplished in either scenario, but remaining healthy is probably more likely with an easier schedule.

When the game was all about physicality and dominating the LOS, being tested was very important. It just isn't anymore.
 

deliveryman35

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Bama/LSU is shaping up to be another top 2 matchup. Since CBS exercised their option already on a night game, does that mean Bama/LSU will be a 230 game?
 

BayouBama75

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Easier schedule is better if you get beat up with the tough Conference. Note last year with TUA and his injuries at the end of the year and against UGA. Also losing Diggs hurt a lot last year as well.
 

GrayTide

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Clemson plays USCe in Columbia on 11/30. If the Gamecocks can duplicate their performance from yesterday then there is a remote chance they could pull off the upset. It could happen, but pulling two upsets against top 5 teams in a season is highly improbable.
 

CajunCrimson

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Clemson plays USCe in Columbia on 11/30. If the Gamecocks can duplicate their performance from yesterday then there is a remote chance they could pull off the upset. It could happen, but pulling two upsets against top 5 teams in a season is highly improbable.
Unless Kirby subs in for Dabo, I doubt it can happen. ;)
 

trenda

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I agree but assume my question is more about “once you’re in” ... is it better to have been tested or rested?


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Normally, I'd rather be battle tested; but, last year, rested seems to have worked wonders for Clemson. In my opinion, last year was the exception, not the rule.
 

AlistarWills

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Probably not really an answer here but some observations. Weak schedule means you can rest guys and build depth that may be needed later. Work on the younger guys to provide rest snaps in the playoff for the starters. Having to play starters till the final horn means fewer of the backups get meaningful reps.
I’d be curious to see what OU and Clempson’s DL rotation looks like. It seems ours has grown in numbers the last couple of weeks which is can’t help but think it helps us down the road.
 

USCBAMA

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Under current 4-team cfp, playing an easier schedule is preferred for a power 5 team. cfp committee doesn't seem to give much weight to tough schedules, and as they've shown with Clemson, don't really seem to weight losses to lesser teams any worse than losses to good teams. Clemson not only has no incentive to toughen up their soft schedule, the current system actually incentivizes them to keep schedule soft.
 

TideEngineer08

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Under current 4-team cfp, playing an easier schedule is preferred for a power 5 team. cfp committee doesn't seem to give much weight to tough schedules, and as they've shown with Clemson, don't really seem to weight losses to lesser teams any worse than losses to good teams. Clemson not only has no incentive to toughen up their soft schedule, the current system actually incentivizes them to keep schedule soft.
I don't fault Clemson so much. To their credit, they usually schedule up in the non-conference. They've got the built in rivalry game with South Carolina to start. Sure, right now they have the upper hand on the Gamecocks, but it wasn't that long ago that people questioned whether or not Dabo could ever beat South Carolina. Then, they almost always schedule another power 5 "name" opponent. For the past 2 seasons it has been Texas A&M. It's often a renewal of an old rivalry with Georgia.

Clemson cannot help the fact that the ACC simply is not, and never will be, a football league. As others have stated many times, they have replaced Florida State of the 1990s. I think there are several reasons for this. Namely, the ACC programs situated in the best recruiting territories have to share that area with the SEC powers. The SEC powers have much, much deeper roots in these territories than do their ACC neighbors. You'll remember there was a time when most all of these teams were in the same conference, the Southern Conference, when there was a split back in the 1930s. It appears Miami cannot ever be depended on to be a consistent football power, Virginia Tech has struggled to regain the status that Frank Beamer got them to 20 years ago, and Boston College, Maryland, and Louisville simply have never been more than middling when it comes to football success.

Clemson is simply in the catbird seat right now.
 

USCBAMA

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I don't fault Clemson so much. To their credit, they usually schedule up in the non-conference. They've got the built in rivalry game with South Carolina to start. Sure, right now they have the upper hand on the Gamecocks, but it wasn't that long ago that people questioned whether or not Dabo could ever beat South Carolina. Then, they almost always schedule another power 5 "name" opponent. For the past 2 seasons it has been Texas A&M. It's often a renewal of an old rivalry with Georgia.

Clemson cannot help the fact that the ACC simply is not, and never will be, a football league. As others have stated many times, they have replaced Florida State of the 1990s. I think there are several reasons for this. Namely, the ACC programs situated in the best recruiting territories have to share that area with the SEC powers. The SEC powers have much, much deeper roots in these territories than do their ACC neighbors. You'll remember there was a time when most all of these teams were in the same conference, the Southern Conference, when there was a split back in the 1930s. It appears Miami cannot ever be depended on to be a consistent football power, Virginia Tech has struggled to regain the status that Frank Beamer got them to 20 years ago, and Boston College, Maryland, and Louisville simply have never been more than middling when it comes to football success.

Clemson is simply in the catbird seat right now.
Agree, but knowing how bad the rest of the ACC is and has been for several years, they should be pressed to upgrade by cfp committee (they play Wofford & UNCC this year). I certainly don't fault them, they are working within the rules of the system - and those rules tell them not to change a thing. It's the system that needs an upgrade to provide incentives for teams in Clemson's situation (an awful conference) to upgrade OOC schedule (or dis-incentive for not upgrading). I'm not suggesting they don't belong (clearly they do), just that they have a huge advantage with their cakewalk conference schedule. With TAM losing, Clemson's schedule does not include a single team in the current AP top 25. They will be double-digit favorites in rest of their games. How do you look Boise St, Baylor, & SMU in the eye & explain to them how Clemson is deserving of being ranked 10 to 15 points higher? They've not accomplished anything more than any of those teams.
 

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