Since the year 2000, Clemson has been in the Top 25 of the AP’s Preseason rankings six times. Out of those six times, they have finished the season in the AP Top 25 twice (#16 in 2000 and #11 in 2012). This season the contributors to ProjectCFB have predicted Clemson will not only be in the Top 25, but land in the Top Ten at #7. Will this be the year Clemson finally proves their preseason pick to be correct?
Clemson’s highest preseason rank in the past thirteen years has been at #9 in 2008. That proved to be a very tumultuous year for the Tigers. Six games into the season, their head coach Tommy Bowden resigned and Dabo Swinney, Clemson’s recruiting cordinator and wide receivers coach took over the helm. In Swinney’s tenure as head coach, Clemson has endured only one losing season. In 2012, the victory over the Top Ten ranked LSU Tigers led Clemson to a #9 finish in the final Coaches’ Poll and 11th in the final AP Poll of the season.
What will help Clemson with another great season? Preseason Heisman favorite Tahj Boyd at quarterback. In 2012 against NC State, Boyd broke the ACC record for most touchdowns in a game when he threw for five and ran for three more, totaling 529 all purpose yards. In the Chick-fil-a Bowl, Boyd won the MVP award with his 36 of 50 pass attempts with no interceptions and a game changing pass on 4th down that helped set up the game winning field goal. The challenge for Boyd besides the opposing defense will be working with a new center, sophomore Ryan Norton. Boyd will also be without running back Andre Ellington and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins who were both taken in the recent NFL Draft.
Another plus in Clemson’s favor for 2013 will be their schedule if they can survive it. Clemson has what most have claimed as the toughest non-conference schedule in the ACC. They start off the season at home with a last year’s SEC runner ups from Georgia and their last game is with their biggest rivals, South Carolina and their Heisman Candidate Jadeveon Clowney. Both of these opponents most likely will be in the Top 25 nationally this season. If Clemson can beat Georgia and South Carolina and do so impressively, then there’s little doubt they will be in the final Top Ten of the 2013 NCAA football season.
- Amy Norris
@amyjane72
amy.projectcfb@gmail.com
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