Season in Review (Clemson and Carolina)

     It was a very exciting season for both teams. Neither team has much to be upset about as they both finished with ten wins in the regular season. Carolina did have the big win over Clemson in their annual rivalry which is a plus for their program. The fact that Carolina has won three in a row over Clemson made this loss even more difficult... UNTIL, Clemson surprises everyone by totally destroying VT in the ACC Championship Game to win their first ACC Championship in 20 years and earning their first ever BCS Bowl bid. The same cannot be said for Carolina. They came into the season as the media and coaches favorite to win the SEC East Divsion.  It looked like they were in position to do just that after an earlier season victory over the University of Georgia.  Carolina controlled their own destiny for most the season.  Their loss to an average Auburn team at home proved to be the dagger that cost them the SEC East Championship. Carolina would eventually lose their star running back, Marcus Lattimore, and lose Stephen Garcia for his 100th violation of team rules.  Carolina could have let their season spiral out of control but they still managed to win 10 games and earn a bid to the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska.  Considering all that Carolina lost this year, the job by Coach Spurrier has to be commended.

     Clemson was predicted to finish behind media darling Florida State in their division of the ACC. Clemson also had a very strong start to their season, and their most exciting regular season win in my opinion was the one they had over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.  After that win however, Clemson seemed to lose their mojo and had some close games with teams that were not in the same ballpark talent wise.  They would go on to lose to GT on the road and NC State on the road.  However, they won the game they needed to by beating Wake Forest at home to clinch the division.  After the way they lost to Carolina, not many people gave Clemson much of a chance to beat VT in the ACC Championship game.  I was fortunate enough to be at this game and witness the beat down Clemson gave VT to win the ACC Championship and earn a trip to the BCS Orange Bowl.  Now, I am counting down the days until I am in Miami pulling for them to beat West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

     Ultimately, to determine a teams success you have to look at the expectations before the season.  Carolina fans were thinking they would fairly easily win the SEC East and even thought they had a chance to compete for a National Title.  Clemson fans really had no idea where they were going to finish because of how young the Clemson squad was and with so many question marks at key positions... Surprise Surprise Mr. Watkins and Mr. Boyd... These two players, along with first year offensive coordinator Chad Morris totally turned the Clemson offense around.  I would argue that Watkins is the key to this offense because he makes the entire offense run so much more smoothly and takes so much pressure off of Boyd and Morris when he is on the field. Defenses have to account for Watkins on every play. Whether they do this by bringing a safety over the top or dropping a linebacker into underneath coverage, Watkins really allows the Clemson offense to open up.  Clemson fans had mediocre expectations for this season, and this Tiger team exceeded all expectations by winning an ACC Title.  Carolina fans on the other hand thought at the very least they would win the SEC East, especially after they beat Georgia early on in the season.  What is also a double edged sword is the fact that Carolina won 10 games but still didn't win the SEC East. That has got to be frustrating.  They also lose significant players on both sides of the ball for next season while division rival UGA returns the majority of their squad. Furthermore, their in state rival Clemson returns the bulk of their roster as well. Clemson and UGA both had one of the youngest squads in the country this season.  Im also pretty sure Clemson fans would take an ACC Championship over beating Carolina anytime.

To summarize, Clemson won their conference when nobody predicted them too because there were so many question marks.  Carolina was expected to win their division of the SEC but failed to do so.  Arguably the best season in Carolina history with no conference or division championship... OUCH