On preferences and priorities

posted by LW, Monday, November 30, 2009

Interesting takes from Dabo Swinney and Paul Johnson as both coaches look back on upset losses and ahead to Saturday's ACC title game.

Clemson, of course, was smacked around in Columbia by a team that seldom smacks them around.

This is what Swinney had to say yesterday:

"We've beaten Carolina around here many, many times. They hadn't won many times here the last 10, 15 years. So we've done that.

"We hadn't won a conference here in 18 years. So these kids have an opportunity to do something here that hasn't been done in a long time. And even then, it was a nine-team league."

Georgia Tech, of course, was upset at home by Georgia as the Bulldogs ran all over the Yellow Jackets' defense.

This is what Johnson had to say -- get this -- before last week's game:

“I’m going to get Georgia Tech to the point where our program is bigger than one game.”

When it comes to downplaying a loss to a hated rival, I tend to think Swinney is on shakier ground than Johnson. Clemson has dominated South Carolina since, well, forever. Therefore all losses to the Gamecocks are devastating regardless of what else the Tigers accomplish.

It's the other way around at Georgia Tech, which is not accustomed to beating its neighbors in Athens. Johnson earned a ton of goodwill by knocking off the hated Bulldogs in his first season, so he can get away with saying something like that.

Frankly, I don't think either coach's comments are a big deal. Swinney is trying to get his team to recoup for the program's biggest game in decades, so he's not going to mope around and talk about how awful a defeat that was.

Did Swinney and his staff prepare any less last week than they do every week? Did they start mailing it in after the Gamecocks went up by double digits?

Doubt it on both counts.

Did Johnson and his staff spend last week watching Clemson film? Did they back off during practice or the game to stay fresh for this week's game?

Again, doubt it.

I do think South Carolina was the more emotional, determined team Saturday in Columbia. And that intangible difference contributes to the tangible fact that the Tigers were whipped up front on both sides of the ball.

I just don't think the source of that whipping was Swinney placing less priority on that game in favor of this week's game.

All that said, the importance of next year's game won't be lost on Swinney. Regardless of where his team is in the ACC pecking order, he won't want to become the first Clemson coach since 1970 to lose to the Gamecocks in back-to-back years.

Mark Bradley of the AJC suspects PJ places an ACC title above beating the Doggies.

In The State, Dat Boy says the Tigers have bigger fish to fry.


Gene Sapakoff gives 10 reasons why the Clemson-USC game will get more competitive.

Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail says Swinney better have some motivational juice left.

Also in the AJC, Jeff Schultz wonders if the Yellow Jackets will bounce back.

He also brings up a good history lesson: In 2006, Georgia Tech won the Coastal Division before flopping with three straight losses -- one to Georgia, one to Wake Forest in the ACC title game, then one to West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.

That's a cautionary tale for the Tigers, who were on such a high after wrapping up the Atlantic Division for the first time.

What a nightmare day Saturday was for the ACC.

The conference FINALLY gets a marketable title game between Clemson and Georgia Tech, then watches both teams dusted by middle-of-the-road SEC teams in the same day.

This New Joisey columnist wonders whether the ACC title game will ever matter.

Can we all agree now that the ACC should stick to basketball?

Clemson gets manhandled by South Carolina. Georgia Tech loses at home to Georgia. So the ACC title game — Clemson-Georgia Tech — features teams coming off bad defeats. That’s a year after 8-4 Virginia Tech played 9-3 Boston College in an ACC title game that drew 27,360 people. The only way the ACC football championship game will ever matter is if it’s part of a doubleheader with Duke-North Carolina in hoops

A day after sounding ambivalent about his desire to return, Bobby Bowden said he'd like one more year.

After yet another pummeling at the hands of Florida, Bowden said he wanted to "go home and do some soul-searching."

Al Groh has plenty of time for soul-searching (and chess playing) after getting his pink slip.

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of potential candidates.

Not included is Tommy Bowden, who last summer told numerous folks that he could end up there if Groh didn't work out.


There's another potential vacancy at Maryland. And it sounds like Ralph Friedgen could be proposing an option-style offense for 2010, assuming he's still around. Interesting.

Very impressive win over Butler for the basketball team last night . Gotta admit I flat-out didn't see it happening in the first half.

Andy Katz has some thoughts from the 76 Classic.

And Heather Dinich still thinks Clemson is headed to Miami.

ACC blogger Emily Price says Gamecocks fans have short-man's complex.

Tom O'Brien improved to 3-0 against North Carolina while giving Clemson an assist.

Before the Wolfpack's victory Saturday, the Tar Heels were in good position for a trip to the Gator Bowl.

Now the Tigers would find themselves in the running should they lose Saturday.

Though I'm not sure masses of fans would be stoked about going to Jacksonville with back-to-back losses.


LW

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