Clemson Tigers: Your 2008 College Football Champions

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Tommy Bowden and his Tigers are always on the brink of glory, yetthey somehow find a way to come up just short.
But like Marky Mark, I think the Tigers will be feeling the "Good Vibrations"this year.
Last year the Tigers finished with an 8-4 record, but they againplayed better than their schedule showed.
Two losses demonstrate this: at the end of the season, where theylost to Boston College on a 43-yard bomb by Matt Ryan at the end ofthe game; and the bowl game, where Auburn defeated them by threepoints in OT.
But we're not surprised—this is Clemson, and this is justnormal with them.
There was some good that came out of last season. Cullen Harper, afifth-year senior this coming season, stepped up and claimed thestarting QB role while gaining the confidence of his teammates.
He threw for 3,000 Yards with a 65 percent completion percentageand had an amazing 27 TDs with only six INTs .
The defense was stifling, allowing just 18.7 points a game. Theyreturn eight starters from that ACC -leading defense. Da' Quan Bowers, the No. 1 DE recruit this offseason , has thrived in spring practice and looks to take over the holeleft by outgoing senior Phillip Merling .
Their secondary was the key, and they return all four startersthere. Crezdon Butler and Chris Chancellor paired up and were the ACC's mostfeared corners, and possibly the two best in the Nation.
So their defense has no reason for a letdown and should maintainthe same high intensity and lead the ACC again in total defense.
Let's not forget—this is still Clemson, so keep your hopefulthoughts tempered.
Well, the backfield is one of the best in the nation with JamesDavis, a workhorse who handles the majority of the load and is agreat pass blocker. He is the thunder.
Also we have C.J. Spiller, the lightning to Davis' thunder. He isextremely fast and catches the ball well. He is the game breakerwho also returns punts and kicks.
Aaron Kelly broke out last year, hauling in 88 passes for 1,081yards and showing he can be the go-to guy at Clemson. But spring studs Xavier Dye and Marquan Jones ha ve shown that they are capable of handling the receiving roles onceKelly departs.
Their O-line remains their lone question mark. They return onlyone starter but ha ve three players with starting experience on the line. C ThomasAustin is the returning starter, but RG Barry Humphries and RT Chris Hairston ha ve starting experience from last year.
While this could be their ultimate downfall, it is still possiblefor these Tigers to gel together and hold their own.
"I've got some questions concerning the offensive line with thembeing so young. That will be a concern, especially with such aquality opponent in our opener. But, with our returners andleaders, I feel good about the season." - Tommy Bowden
Bowden is still unsure about his line, but he still seemsoptimistic that they can come through.
Special teams look to be good again. P Jimmy Manners and K Phillip Buchholz both look to capitalize on serviceable seasons. C.J. Spiller andJacoby Ford will continue to gi ve the Tigers a dominant return game.
Now to the reason, in my opinion, that pushes the Tigers to thetop—their schedule.
The Tigers face what is one of the weaker schedules in the nationand ha ve a fairly easy road to the ACC Championship and onwards.
They open their season against Alabama in a neutral site game inAtlanta. Now this isn't a cakewalk by any means, but the Tigersshould still be able to contain the Tide's main threat (JulioJones) and in the end win the game. This will be a big test fortheir O-line to see if they can hold their own.
They then have an month-long streak of cupcakes until they play atWake Forest on Thursday night.
They will come into Wake undefeated, and in a tough matchup , I see Clemson coming out ali ve in its first road game of the year.
Then they face a rebuilding Georgia Tech team at home, followed byback-to-back road games against Boston College and Florida State.
That should be the toughest stretch of the schedule, starting atWake Forest and ending with the road game at Florida State.
All three of these teams are not at their best this season. Theyall still have major question marks, and we doubt whether or notthey can hold their own.
While there is a chance that any of these teams could have theirgame of the year against Clemson, I still feel that the Tigerscould in fact handle a game like that. Though it would be a test,it would be a well-needed test.
They end their schedule with Duke, at Virgina, and finally theBattle of the Palmetto State at home against South Carolina.
These games keep them steady and ready for the ACC Championship game, as they will face quality opponents up untilthe Championship game.
The only pitfall I can see is if they run the table and goundefeated at 13-0, yet are left out in favor of a one-loss SECteam or something along those lines because of their soft schedule.
With everything set in place—returning players on defense,skill positions coming back, QB Cullen Harper leading theoffense—I see no reason as to why Clemson doesn't make thejump.
Now all the naysayers will continually try to tell me how their O-line isn't good enoughand how the LB core isn't deep enough—but where Bowden lacksin clinching moments, he makes up for in getting his players readyto play.
But this year Bowden isn't controlling the team. Cullen Harperis—and after experiencing the letdown at BC last year, he nowrealizes what it's going to take to win, and he indeed has thehunger.
But need I remind you again: This is Clemson, and talent only goesso far.
This isn't the normal Clemson team though. There's a newfound hunger eating at the players to challenge each other and a desireto hold each other accountable.
Perhaps this, in fact, is the year Clemson is lucky rather thangood.