Ranking the gag games

Seems Clemson has a long history of producing at least one of those games per season in which the Tigers ...

Let's see. So many colorful descriptions to choose from.

I've always been partial to the one golfers use to describe an epic unraveling:

"Well, I had four birdies on the front nine and was putting like a madman. Then after the turn, I threw up all over myself."

Of late, it's become popular on the WEZ board to call them "WTF" games. Draw your own conclusions.

(Hey, I just thought of something South Carolina fans could use to identify similar meltdowns from their team: "WTC games: What The Cluck.")

Some folks call them "trap" games, but that's become a bit too cliche for me. And we all know I've never used a cliche in my long and storied career as a media jackal.

For now, we'll settle on "gag games."

Plenty of Clemson fans think the gag game is inevitable this season. And it's hard to blame them, because gag games have become a yearly ritual for the Tigers.

So here are the top three gag candidates for 2010:

1. at Wake Forest, Nov. 20

The one thing that sticks out to me is where this game falls.

Seven days after what could end up being a monumental trip to Florida State.

And seven days before a home game against those hated Gamecocks.

I'm high on Jim Grobe as a coach, but I'm not high on the Deacons this season. Picked them last in the division, and that was hard to do.

But Grobe's team could be much better late in the season than early. By that time, the Deacs might have an identity on offense. And if that identity consists of lots of option and misdirection with QB Skylar Jones and all those good players at WR and RB, it could be trouble.

Plus, Winston-Salem has not been a fun place for the Tigers. They have lost on three of their last four trips. And the win, 27-17 in 2006, came courtesy of the Gaines Adams-sparked fumble return that set in motion a rally from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit.

2. Maryland, Oct. 16

Clemson fans cringe at the sight of Ralph Friedgen (and not because they're worried he'll decimate their tailgate buffets).

The Fridge has plenty of Tiger scalps stowed away in his freezer, having won six of nine against Clemson since taking over at Maryland. Previous to his arrival, the Terps lost eight straight to the Tigers and 13 of 14.

Add in Friedgen's 4-0 record against Clemson when he was offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, and the man has won 10 of 13.

Surely the Tigers will be ready for Maryland's visit this year after an inexplicable 24-21 loss to the Terps in 2009. Then again, Clemson will be coming off two huge games the previous two weeks: Miami in Death Valley on Oct. 2, and at North Carolina on Oct. 9.

3. at Boston College, Oct. 30

Hard to classify this as a possible gag game, because -- news flash -- Chestnut Hill ain't a fun place to play. And the Eagles could be pretty good this year.

But the purpose of this is to identify possible games in which the Tigers play well below their potential, and the ingredients for such a showing lie largely in schedule dynamics. The week before they go to Boston College, the Tigers play host to Georgia Tech.

In the wake of their 2006 demolition of Georgia Tech on national TV, with GameDay and all that, who'd have thought the Tigers would have so much trouble beating the Yellow Jackets from that point forward? Georgia Tech has reeled off four consecutive victories, three under triple-option guru Paul Johnson. Clemson and its fans desperately want to win this game, making that trip to New England a bit more ominous.

And don't forget that the Eagles might have a little something extra for the Tigers after last year's embarrassing meltdown in Death Valley.

Moving right along...

It's hard not to be skeptical whenever Stephen Garcia says he's a new man, simply because he's said it so often.

But when the kid says he's made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up booze, you gotta start paying attention.

Garcia used that fire to help melt 10 pounds off his 6-2 frame, as he dropped to about 225 by running harder and cutting back on a certain adult beverage.

“There’s a few things that I didn’t take. I’m sure you guys know what I’m talking about,” Garcia said. “You can edit that out if you want to.”


Speaking of Wake Forest, here's a look at the Deacs' pressing questions in The Charlotte Observer.

Mistuh College Football ranks the Atlantic Division's quarterbacks and puts KP third.

Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald has five questions on the Hurricanes.

Andrew Carter of The Orlando Sentinel assigns a degree of difficulty to Florida State's opponents, and here's what he says about Clemson's visit to Tallahassee:

Chances of a Florida State victory: 65 percent
Why: I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Isn’t Clemson supposed to be better than Boston College? Maybe even better than North Carolina? Then why are the Tigers more of an underdog than those teams?” And those are good questions. Though Clemson might be a better overall team than BC, I think the Tigers are a better overall match up for Florida State. Clemson doesn’t have the dominant defense of North Carolina, and Clemson doesn’t have the ability to pound away on the ground – and kill the clock – like Boston College.

Nice story from the AP's Pete Iacobelli on Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper.

So the football thing shockingly didn't work out for Greg Paulus. Good thing he had basketball to, ahem, fall back on.


LW