Who Is Doubting Clemson?

by Chris Paschal

That’s a legit question. Who is doubting Clemson?

Because I know you’re out there. The AP Poll came out today and kept Clemson at 4. The gap between Ohio State and Clemson shrunk by a single vote. A single vote.

The Tigers started pre-season #1. They had returning what many claimed was a better quarterback than Deshaun Watson. Five-star after five-star. A backfield that was so good it could lose a former blue-chip running back to the in-state rival and not miss a beat.

And now they are clinging to a top-four ranking?

One of Clemson’s biggest critics is radio legend, Paul Finebaum, of the SEC Network. Finebaum moved to Charlotte at the same time Clemson transitioned from being just really good to being a powerhouse. He is in contact with them much more than he was in Birmingham. And he hears from them a lot. And a lot of them are annoying as hell. I know.

Recently, Finebaum has enjoyed being the evil villain. From pronouncing it “Clemzun” — I mean, who does that?? — to discrediting that program with every step he takes, Finebaum doesn’t like that school located in “Wherever, South Carolina”. His latest attempt to bring the Tigers down has been attacking their schedule and arguing that the Tigers aren’t a College Football Playoff caliber team. “They’re not one of the top four teams in the country…and for that poll (AP Poll) to put them in there is ludicrous,” Finebaum stated on ESPN earlier in the season. Why? Because Clemson plays nobody. That’s what he hangs his hat on. When pushed, however, he couldn’t defend his reasoning. Just a couple of weeks ago, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN challenged Finebaum and asked him if he thought that Clemson didn’t deserve a shot at the Playoff based solely on their schedule and if so, did he decide that before the first game was even played. Finebaum danced around the question.

That’s the thing. Clemson’s schedule has been Clemson’s schedule for a while. We all knew that this schedule was weak. But we knew that last year as well. And Clemson beat Bama to win the National Title by four touchdowns. So why is Clemson’s schedule such a big deal? Why does it all of the sudden matter? It’s not like they are playing in the Sun Belt. It’s still the ACC with teams that get scholarship athletes.

The schedule complaint and reason for knocking Clemson is a fake issue. It’s an issue made up by Paul Finebaum, SEC fan boys, and people that are tired as hell of listening to Dabo be a goofy bumpkin signing the alma mater and talking about “little ole Clemson.” If you watch Clemson and think to yourself, “that isn’t one of the best teams in the country” or “that team couldn’t win it all” or “there are definitely four teams better than Clemson this year,” then you’re kidding yourself. You know that Clemson is one of the best four teams in the country, but you’re looking for anything you can to convince yourself that Clemson isn’t as good as your eyeballs are telling you.

They’re going to win out. They’re going to make the Playoff. Those are about as etched in stone as it is me never dunking a basketball. Do I want South Carolina to whip them like a rented mule and have Dabo sulk back to the locker room while Muschamp dances on the Tiger’s playoff dreams? Yes. But I am realistic. I know that this Clemson team is damn good. And I’m not about to doubt Clemson because of a non-issue that was started by Paul Finebaum.