2009 Clemson NCAA Football Predictions
The Clemson Tigers did not even come close to meeting expectations last season, finishing just 7-6 when they were considered to be a team capable of playing in a BCS bowl. Now the team has been placed in the hands of 39-year-old Dabo Swinney, hoping he can help the program earn an ACC Atlantic title to show for all the talent that has been assembled in recent years. Find out what’s in store for the Tigers in this 2009 college football betting preview. Clemson is listed at +7,000 to win the 2009 BCS championship.
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Offense – The Tigers were expected to put one of the most explosive offenses in the league on the field last season with three preseason ACC Player of the Year candidates lining up in the backfield (QB Cullen Harper, running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller). But the Tigers managed just 25.2 points per game (60th nationally) and only 329.4 yards per game of total offense (87th nationally). Much of Clemson’s offensive deficiency in 2008 can be blamed on an offensive line unit which suffered through injuries and inexperience. With four of five lineman coming back, it should be a better season up front for the Tigers and hopefully that means more offensive production. Harper is gone, but the coaching staff has confidence in both Willy Korn and redshirt freshman Kyle Parker. Korn has game experience, but Parker looks to have the bigger upside. Davis is gone, but Spiller is back and the Clemson offense will be geared around getting him touches. With the loss of Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham, Jacoby Ford will be the unquestioned no. 1 at wide receiver. He is coming off a season in which he caught 55 passes for 710 yards and four scores.
Defense – The Tigers return eight starters on a defense which ranked 13th in the nation in scoring defense (17.3 points per game allowed) and 18th in total defense (299.9 yards per game allowed). The defensive line should be a strength. Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thompson form a formidable duo on the interior and don’t be surprised if sophomore Da’Quan Bowers rises to stardom on the outside. While it’s hard to complain about the Clemson defense with as solid as it was last season, it managed only 14 sacks. Getting a consistent pass rush is what’s standing in the way of this defense being something special and the coaching staff is hoping that Bowers and Ricky Sapp can bring that. The secondary will be a strength also with three starters coming back. Chris Chancellor and Crezdon Butler are a pair of strong corners good enough to play man coverage on just about any receiver in the league. The linebacker unit looks a little soft. Kavell Conner had a solid 125-tackle season in 2008, but this unit lacks depth and star-power.
Prediction: 3rd ACC Atlantic – The Clemson defense will remain strong so it will be up to the offense to show improvement. The offensive line should be better this season and that should help the running game fare much better that it did in 2008, but it’s hard to expect drastic improvement with a new QB and no true big play threats in the receiving corps. Clemson is listed at +300 to win the ACC Atlantic Division crown.
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