Drinking the Kool-Aid

Okay, count me in. I'm drinking the Orange Kool-Aid and really starting to believe this could be the year.

I've been around long enough to know to not get my hopes up too soon for my Tigers. Clemson has been on the door step of becoming an elite football program over the past few years. However,  I can now say that looking at the full body of work to this point, I truly believe this team is ready to knock down that door and deserving of that "elite" title.

Hey, after yesterday's 58-0 win at Miami ( the Canes' worst loss in program history) I think it's more than fair to say that the Tigers are a serious contender for running the table this year. They've improved each week and look to be just as stout on defense as last year's squad which lost 9 starters and was the #1 defense in the country. They have passed all of the tests to this point and it doesn't take a Clemson fan to look at the remaining five games and see the Tigers should win each of them.

I've always dreamed of seeing my Tigers recognized as a national power and winning another national championship but always knew deep down we just weren't quite at that level yet. Things have changed though and I think this team and coaching staff has what it takes to make this a very special year in Tigertown. There is just something different about this group. You can just sense that this team is on the brink of a very special season.

Say what you want about the schedule but Clemson has taken care of business and made strides each week. People are already downplaying the win at South Beach but lets be real. Teams don't just go on the road and beat historically relevant Power-5 schools like Miami on the road like that. 58-0? Are you kidding me? And to be honest it could have been much worse than that, with a 42-0 lead at halftime most of the first-team guys were already done for the day as the teams hit the locker room. Miami has struggled this year but it was more of Clemson being that good rather than the Canes being that bad.


Clemson is playing like a ticked off team on a mission. They are looking solid in all phases of the game and playing really, really good football. The Tigers haven't exactly received the respect they deserve thus far and they are showing the entire nation how they feel about it and using that disrespect as fuel to play even more motivated and at a higher level. With a #3 ranking heading to next weekend I'll still expect several experts and others to have us on upset alert...for like the fifth straight week. (Rolls eyes)

The Tigers are ranked 4th in total defense after Saturday's shutout which saw Clemson hold the Canes to 93 yards of total offense in the second half including a total of 53 yards rushing on the day. We had guys like Van Smith--who wasn't even listed on the 2 deep- depth chart--knocking people's heads off and bringing down an interception. Smith had 6 tackles, a tackle for loss and a interception in "garbage time" Saturday against some of the Canes first-team players.

Guys flying to the ball and laying the wood like the Clemson of the old days, its really fun to see these boys play right now. The Tigers success has all started up front. They have dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball leading the way to an dangerous offense that has proven it can beat you through the air or on the ground. Deshaun Watson is finding his groove after a so-so start to the season and with weapons like Wayne Gallman, Artavis Scott, Jordan Leggett, Charone Peake, and Ray Ray McCloud among several others in his arsneal...there are literally home run threats all over the field for Clemson

Obviously Clemson has to win out but looking at the rest of the schedule, the Tigers will be the favorite in the remaining five games as well as the ACC Championship (assuming they make it there---REGARDLESS of who the Coastal Division winner is) Anything can happen and nothing is promised but the Tigers have also proven they don't lose to unranked teams anymore. It is a pretty favorable path from here on out if you are the Tigers.

The FSU showdown lost a little luster with their Michigan State/Auburn-ish finish against Georgia Tech but looking back at that game as well as the Noles' game against Miami compared to Clemson's games against those same opponents, the Tigers at home are a clear favorite against FSU. Never mind the fact that Clemson is simply due for a win over the Noles after losing the last three including last year's heart breaker in Tallahassee....a game where the Tigers seemed to just gift wrap the game for the Noles if you go back and watch the film.

I'm drinking the orange kool-aid but also know how to stay realistic. That being said, why not Clemson? They've played as good as anyone. Strength of schedule hurts but have you seen Ohio State's cupcake menu? They don't even play a real game until they meet Michigan State Nov. 21 and then the regular-season finale against Michigan at the Big House. Even more concerning, they haven't exactly been that impressive so far this year and still shuffling through quarterbacks through week 8. Make no mistake they are still a great team (I think?) but they haven't really played like it so far.

Utah's blowout loss to USC throws them out of the playoff conversation completely and Baylor and TCU,  square off on Nov. 27 at TCU. That leaves no time for recovery for the loser with the game being so late in the season and in theory means Clemson would move that much closer to that top four. With Baylor QB Seth Russell possibly done for the season with a broken bone in his neck, that changes things drastically for the Bears so you never know how that will turn out. We should know more about his condition Monday afternoon.

The stage is set for the Tigers to run the table and win it all this year. They just have to stay healthy and focused. I would love to see Clemson take on Alabama or a rematch of the 2014 Orange Bowl and face Ohio State again. A 2013 rematch of the Chic-Fil-A Bowl against LSU would also be intriguing. While the experts and other "haters" continue to put the Tigers on upset alert each week, they continue to win and play solid football. Works for me, though. Clemson's offense showed out against Boston College racking up 400 yards passing over the nations top defense and still dropped in the polls. That didn't sit well with the Tigers and it showed yesterday.

I feel bad for anyone who gets in the Tigers way at this point. While they will get every one's absolute best shot from here on out, there aren't many teams in the country that can beat Clemson when they are at their best. Furthermore, outside of FSU, Clemson has played its toughest games already as far as the regular season is concerned. The scary part? Even after yesterday I still don't think we've seen the Tigers play their best. Yesterday was one of the most dominating performances I've witnessed but there were still points left on the field and some things to clean up heading to the next game.

As far as I'm concerned, Clemson has been in the playoffs since week 1 and now just has to keep winning. I'm trying to not get ahead of myself too much ( did I mention I already have tickets to the ACC Championship?) but it is hard to not be excited about what Dabo Swinney is doing with this program right now.

To all my fellow Tiger fans I just want to say I hope you are embracing the moment. This is shaping up to be a very special year in Clemson and as a life-long fan I must say it truly is a great time to be a Tiger fan. I've seen some of the best and worst of this program in my 23 years of life and it is absolutely thrilling to see how far we've come in just a few years under Coach Swinney. The best is yet to come but don't forget to enjoy the here and now in the meantime. Oh, and pass the sugar.