First off, I'll use the College Football Playoff Rankings and not the AP or Coaches Poll.
If the ended up as Clemson #2 and Michigan #3 the only difference would be the uniform colors of the playoff matchup, but Clemson should have lost to NC State and I'll argue Michigan has beaten three top 15 teams in Wisconsin, Penn State and Colorado. Michigan should be #2.
But to Saturday.
You'd think DeShaun Watson would be firing on all cylinders after his magical season last year, but truth be told, he's not. For whatever reasons, the accuracy isn't there.
The defensive line still is and that's a whole different story, but offensively Clemson isn't quite the Clemson we saw last year.
With that being said, they're still the 2nd ranked team in the country. So we'd all be so lucky to have those problems.
If you were in the Dome last year when Clemson came to town, you might remember Clemson didn't blow Syracuse out of the water they way the Tigers did in year one of the ACC with Tahj Boyd and Sammy Watkins. Last year it was 37-27 and Syracuse actually outscored Clemson in the 2nd half 10-6. Clemson was the number one team in the nation for that game last year.
Can the Orange pull off the upset? Probably not, but we didn't think they'd beat Virginia Tech either did we? #RoyalWe.
The Basics - Syracuse (4-4) travels to Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC to take on the Tigers (8-0). Kickoff is set for 3:30 and the game is on ABC/ESPN 2. Clemson is a 27 point favorite.
Team Notes - Syracuse is coming off a bye week. The Orange is 2-2 in the ACC and two wins away (perhaps one win) from bowl eligibility. Syracuse last played on Oct. 22nd with a 28-20 over Boston College. Syracuse's Defense is coming around. A team that had been giving up 36 points a game has cut that in half in the past two games.
Clemson is 5-0 in ACC play and went into Tallahassee and beat Florida State this year, but the Seminoles are not the Seminoles we have grown accustomed to. Again Clemson could have lost last week and should have lost to NC State, but a missed chip shot FG cost the Wolfpack an upset.
History - (From SU Athletics) Saturday’s meeting marks the fifth matchupbetween Syracuse and Clemson. The Tigers own a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series, winning each of the past three games. Syracuse’s only victory in the series came in the 1996 Gator Bowl, a 41-0 win.
Injuries - Out - WR Devin Butler & OL Omari Palmer; Out for the Season DB Antwan Cordy (forearm), DB Juwan Dowels (knee) & OL Jason Emerich (shoulder)
My Thoughts - It comes down to Syracuse's OL vs. Clemson's DL. Can the Orange get anything going on the ground and can it protect Eric Dungey long enough to get off some throws? I'm guessing a quick passing attack is how Syracuse will be able to move the ball. That's good because that's what the Orange does well and that sets up the deep throws to Etta-Tawo (who's brother played at Clemson ten years ago. A heart condition limited his career to only five games.)
Clemson has the better athletes, on both sides of the ball. Watson obvioulsy. Mike Williams is a 1st Round WR and doesn't even lead the team in TD's. Wayne Gallman is a stud RB averaging 5 yards a pop with 7 scores. Cordea Tankersley could sneak into the first round as a corner. They'll have more than a handful of draft picks.
Syracuse has become a much better team than we saw earlier this season. The defense could also find ways to take advantage of what I said earlier, Watson's accuracy issues. He has 10 picks this year. 10. Syracuse has to make that 12 at least.
Syracuse got down 14 last year before our seats were warm, but outscored the Tigers after that. They cannot afford to get into a big hole early.
Prediction - I'll compare this to my Michigan fears. For a long time Michigan was bad. I still to this day, despite Harbaugh and 8-0, haven't been completely de-Hoked yet. Meaning I have to see stuff before I'll actually believe Michigan is a playoff team. It doesn't seem real.
I have to see Syracuse step up in a spot like this before I can believe it. I hope the Va Tech game wasn't the outlier. I hope that was the start of something. I do think the Orange can hang with Clemson. I do. The earlier start is good. A night game would be BLAH.
I just need to see it and unlike Michigan, I've seen Syracuse struggle this year, which means my eyes are probably seeing reality. I hope I'm wrong, but I see Clemson putting up TD's while Syracuse is trying to figure out how to get first downs.
If I see what I want to see, my prediction for the Florida State game will be much different. Clemson 48-20.