Sports coverage is all about lists these days, fueled in large part by ESPN's discovery that lists generate a ton of hits by obsessed fans.
We've been guilty of throwing together our own lists on occasion, less for the pursuit of the almighty hit and more for the simple fact that it can be fun.
Last week, poster russman1133 asked a question that occupied my mind for much of the weekend:
What was the best Clemson team of the past decade?
It's a fascinating topic, and the inability to come to a conclusive answer underscores the total roller-coaster ride that marked the decade.
In previous decades, it wasn't so difficult. The best of the 1980s would have to be the 1981 team that won it all, though you could make an argument for the 1989 team that completely thrashed Florida State, West Virginia and South Carolina.
The 1990s? Hard to go against the 1990 team that won 10 games and finished in the Top 10.
The Oh-Ohs (because I still can't figure out what to call the decade)?
Picking the best is not nearly as easy, probably because of the dramatic swings that each team experienced.
Since five of the teams finished in the Top 25, those are the obvious nominations for the "Best Team" category.
Here's the rundown (in chronological order):
2000
Final ranking: 16
Biggest win: 16-14 over South Carolina
Ugliest loss: 54-7 at Florida State
Wins over I-A teams that finished with winning records: 3
Wins over teams that finished in Top 25: 1 (South Carolina)
2003
Final ranking: 22
Biggest win: 26-10 over No. 3 Florida State
Ugliest loss: 45-17 at Wake Forest
Wins over I-A teams that finished with winning records: 4
Wins over teams that finished in Top 25: 2 (Florida State and Tennessee)
2005
Final ranking: 21
Biggest win: 13-9 at South Carolina
Ugliest loss: 31-27 at Wake Forest
Wins over I-A teams that finished with winning records: 4
Wins over teams that finished in Top 25: 1 (Florida State)
2007
Final ranking: 21
Biggest win: 24-18 over Florida State
Ugliest loss: 41-23 to Virginia Tech
Wins over I-A teams that finished with winning records: 3
Wins over teams that finished in Top 25: 0
2009
Final ranking: 24
Biggest win: 40-37 at Miami in overtime
Ugliest loss: 24-21 at Maryland
Wins over I-A teams that finished with winning records: 4
Wins over teams that finished in Top 25: 1 (Miami)
I'm going to go with the 2003 team, and it makes no sense when you consider that team suffered two truly humiliating losses: 30-0 at home against Georgia in the opener, and the debacle at Wake Forest. When a 45-17 does not adequately measure the whipping that took place, and the whipping is at the hands of Wake Forest, it's bad.
I would argue that the presence of those awful moments, coupled with the presence of moments at the other extreme, make 2003 the quintessential Tommy Bowden team. And I'd argue that "The Finish," as it was called, narrowly gives it separation from the others.
Hard to top the 26-10 demolition of Florida State (seven days after the meltdown at Wake).
The 63-17 fleecing of South Carolina in Columbia might go down as Clemson's greatest moment in its rivalry with the Gamecocks, and South Carolina's worst.
And the Tigers completely worked over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl -- a Tennessee team that entered the game ranked No. 6.
Here's my ranking of the remaining teams in consideration:
2. 2005--Won six of its last seven games, including a smoking of N.C. State on the road and a smacking of Florida State at home. The 13-9 win at South Carolina was impressive given that the Gamecocks were hot coming in.
3. 2007--Three of the four losses came to teams that finished in the Top 15 (Virginia Tech, Boston College, Auburn). The 13-3 loss at Georgia Tech wasn't pretty.
4. 2000--The No. 16 final ranking was deceptive because it was built on an 8-0 start against mostly weak teams. But some credit has to be given for the miraculous win over a good South Carolina team.
5. 2009--They had C.J. Spiller, and they won an Atlantic Division title. But that loss at Maryland just reeks.
On to a few links...
Terry Don Phillips speaks at the Clemson Rotary Club and says it's too early to speculate on new sports at Clemson.
Phillips said he thought that the Walker Course on the Clemson campus would make an excellent women’s golf course.
“In these economic times it is just not the right time to add women’s golf,” he said.
I'm totally confused.
Some practice notes from North Texas.
You do realize there are two games that come before the trip to Auburn, don't you?
Not a good start for Mark Herzlich, who has a foot injury.
And Boston College's defensive line is not in good shape right now.
Mickey Andrews visited Florida State's practice yesterday and had a funny one-liner:
Andrews told sports information man Bob Thomas that he hadn’t cursed since the Gator Bowl.
Also in Tallahassee, beat man Andrew Carter assesses what the loss of Jarmon Fortson means for the Seminoles.
In Miami, Graig Cooper could begin contact drills next week.
Also from Miami, columnist Dan LaBatard blisters the news media.
Let's say you've just finished a brutal day at work. You come out of your cubicle and are immediately met by someone asking you questions about how and why you failed. This person doesn't put in your hours and isn't nearly as informed about your job as you are, but he gets paid to question you every day inside the TV, the radio, the newspaper. And, armed with the day's results, he always gets to look right about how you do your job without taking your risks or suffering your consequences. That's the questioner's job -- to question you.
How annoying do you think that would get?
``What I have learned in 11 years in the sports business is that the dumbest guys in the room are always the media guys,'' Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wrote on his blog last week. ``Listening to the media only increases your odds of failing at whatever you are doing.''
A playmate photo shoot in the team's locker room? George O'Leary approves this message.
LW
No comments:
Post a Comment