re: When running the dang ball goes wrong: How Miss St showed Clemson the way to stop Alabama

The Mississippi State game is a prime example of why the Clemson debacle can be partially blamed on our end of the year schedule.

Lazy sportswriters and rivals love to chortle about our schedule, but just because we’re double digit favorites in games like LSU, Miss State, and AU doesn’t mean those games aren’t taxing. Let’s not forget UGA and OU either. Each game provided more film for the next coach to breakdown and find ways to exploit us. By the time we got to the Clemson game, all of our tendencies and flaws were there for the world to see. Meanwhile, Clemson was playing lightweight after lightweight in the ACC.

Clemson was an elite team that didn’t need any advantages to beat us but they got a big one there IMO. Of course before the game I was saying they wouldn’t know how to react once they finally played a good team....so what do I know???

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Clemson had a cakewalk into the playoffs and played the best possible draw there, a team that did not really belong.

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Even so, we were thoroughly outcoached that game. Clemson threw stuff at us that we hadn't seen on film...I recall Venables saying they were in cloud coverage most of the game, something they hadn't done all year...

Clemson watched our game film and, in the championship game, what they saw on film is what they got. We watched their game film, and we didn't get what we saw on film. Clemson changed up a lot of things and we pretty much did what we did all season...

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the truth was that Clemson was just clearly better than you were last year.

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That game, that day - yes, absolutely. But if we had met in September, I'd like our chances to smoke you guys. That's not an insult - you guys got much better as the year progressed, and we did the opposite, mostly due to injuries at OLB and Corner (and the fact that our coaching staff on defense was less than).

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Some of yall really sound like poor sports with the schedule talk. Usually SEC fans make the opposite case

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Honestly, the schedule talk is a complicated one. To you, I'm sure it sounds like poor sportsmanship or sour grapes, but it's actually more complicated than that.

1) I don't know any Bama fan that speaks about Clemson's weak schedule and uses it as an excuse. Bama does not makes excuses and we do not blame the refs. That's for the auburns and LSUs of the world. We got beat by Clemson and there are no asterisks. Period.

2) This topic of schedule strength has been a particular thorn in the side of Bama fans because we've watched our team deteriorate before our eyes the last 2 consecutive seasons. In 2017 and 2018, Alabama in September would've beaten Alabama in December by 2 TDs - and it's mostly due to injuries.

And so it's frustrating watching Alabama play a brutal October and November littered with legit, often top 10 or top 25 teams, only to watch our chief competition play a long series of patsies. I think Bama could've beaten 6 to 8 teams on your schedule last year without the first team offense and defense making the trip. I think we could've beaten those teams without watching a minute of film, and spent all week prepping for Clemson.

And Notre Dame is a joke, and I believe every word of the leaked news that you guys didn't really spend much time preparing for them, and spent a lot of ND week prepping for Bama. I totally believe it. Notre Dame is a joke. We at least had to spend all our time prepping our dicks off for OU's offense.

Again, none of this is Clemson's fault. You do not control how good the ACC is and you do not control your draw in the semifinals. Bama's complaints about scheduling are more a "screaming into the ether" type of complaint rather than directed at a specific party.

3) All of this is in the context of the national media crucifying Alabama last year for it's weak schedule. Blowhard Tim Brando made it his season long mantra, starting in the preseason - and he was far from alone. It was a constant narrative - Bama's easy schedule.

Well, guess who had the most difficult SOS of any of the playoff teams? Bama.

And so we have to hear that shite all fricking year, then end up with the most difficult SOS of all the big boys, and then hobble into the playoffs because of getting beaten up/injured throughout our difficult year, only to get whipped by a team that didn't even need their first team offense and defense for October and November? frick me! You're damn right we're sensitive about it, but it's about the context.

And I've already heard pundits start the talk again for this year about "Bama's weak schedule". Those same guys will credit Clemson for scheduling OOC games versus TexAM and SoCar - and those teams are on our schedule too! But nobody cares about that. It's part of the national Bama fatigue.

I'm ready for there to be some national Clemson fatigue, and I'm ready for the rest of the ACC to quit wandering in the desert. There's no reason for the ACC not to be the 2nd best conference in CFB, fighting for that top spot. And as of the end of 2018, I think you were the worst P5 conference, and behind 1 G5 conference.

Face it. It's not an excuse for a Bama fan, but Clemson had a significant season-long competitive advantage in 2018. And we are allowed talk about it without being poor sportsmen.

Prevatt, I am not reading all of that... No offense.

You won the Natty 2 years ago... Why are you complaining?

Two years ago you were gifted an appearance into the playoff despite not even playing in your conference championship game... You had an extra week off vs everyone else in the playoff.

Don't give me that if we played in September weak sauce... Championships are played for at the end of the year. And we won 44-16... With a mercy kneel at the end.

You say there are no excuses, and then run off a novel of excuses.

You were beat thoroughly by Clemson. The year before you were clearly the better team. Next year who knows.

If you want to talk strategy and details I will discuss, but don't play the excuse game.

If you’re not going to read the dialogue why are you here? Prevatt didn’t attack you, he brought his views into an easy read pamphlet. My guess is you are set in your ways and don’t care to see the other side. I’d recommend going back to the scratching board or whatever Clemson calls it forum. Enjoy your evening.

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CivilTiger

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Indeed.

It was a huge advantage whether you want to admit it or not. But that's part of it. Clemson was the better team that day, hats off to them. Happy?