The X on Clemson’s back got a little bit bigger on Tuesday when it was revealed that the Tigers were the No. 1 team in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year.
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Fisher said the 6-foot-3 Watson has taken his game and the third-ranked Tigers (8-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to another level since Florida State’s 23-17 victory over Clemson previous year.
Florida State’s Travis Rudolph was selected as the ACC Receiver of the Week, and Seminole freshman running back Jacques Patrick was named the Rookie of the Week for their play in Saturday’s win over visiting Syracuse. Will they hang on to the top spot into football selection Sunday? Reserve quarterback Deshaun Watson connects with tight end Stanton Seckinger inside the 5-yard-line and Seckinger appears to score. The Tigers have been tough to stop lately, rolling up at least 500 total yards in four straight games and gaining 623 in a 56-41 win over the Wolfpack. Swinney isn’t mentioned in the same breath as guys like Les Miles and Nick Saban, but considering how good his recent Clemson teams have been, he deserves to be.
“It’s so irrelevant”, Swinney said. This game will much likely define who will attend the ACC Championship from the Atlantic side.
“He can beat you with his arm, legs, mind and heart”, Swinney said. There are a lot of talented quarterbacks out there, but I don’t think there are many with the aptitude and work ethic that he has. Clemson could win a fat pot, or it could watch as the cards are revealed and it’s shot down once more.
Florida State is playing with house money right now, and Clemson is all-in, holding pocket 4s with another 4 and an ace on the table. Although Florida State’s defense has exceeded expectations, the offense, which has one senior on the two deep depth chart (graduate transfer quarterback Everett Golson) has been inconsistent.
He’s more than halfway there heading into the showdown with Florida State. All eyes will be on their clash with the Seminoles this weekend and if they survive that test, the path towards the College Football Playoff will be paved for them with winnable games against Syracuse, Wake Forest and South Carolina to close out the regular season. You know who is ranked 16th this year? You’ve got to win the games. Later in the first quarter, Rudolph caught a 45-yard touchdown from Sean Maguire as he got position in one-on-one coverage.
Florida State’s defense has been another story this year.
Swinney – whose remarkable recruiting run has keyed the Tigers’ rise to national prominence – says his team won’t celebrate until the final rankings come out.
My intent was to give Clemson’s football coach a chance for rebuttal about a term that, dating back to Tommy Bowden’s tenure (1999-2008), is now an inaccurate portrayal about the Tigers’ program being prone to losing games to inferior opponents.
The Buckeyes, ranked No. 1 all season in the AP and coaches’ polls, were expected to be a juggernaut this season but have not looked the part.
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“He always wanted to do what he could to help us”, she said. Only four losses, and I do not think I am up for a 5th one.
