If “ifs and buts were fruits & nuts…. every day would be Christmas” and Other Bowl Conclusions.
“For wont of a chip shot FG….”
Who along fabled Tobacco Road did not watch Clemson’s total obliteration of TeamUrban on Saturday and consider:
What IF… young Mr Bambard’s chipshot FG in Death Valley had split the uprights?
BUT it didn’t …. and Dabo plays Nick next Monday.
Not to rub salt in the broken heart of Young Mr Bambard; but it is easy to conclude that The Fighting Dabos would never have been in Glendale AZ had The Wolfpack exited The Upstate as victors on that fateful October Saturday. Whether Clemson would have also lost to Pitt or anyone else following that defeat, “that defeat” by itself would have likely have eliminated The Dabos from The Final Four. The Football Gods were looking after Dabo.
The Swoff’s ACC leads Power Five World in 2016 Bowl Ws…. and “programs in scandal mode”. Huuummm, coincidence?
On a more positive note for Brickyard Loyalists…. Along with their sound defeat of “an SEC team” a/k/a Vanderbilt in Shreveport; the impressive Bowl Ws by both Clemson and Florida State reflect positively on the future state of Football @ The Fairgrounds. Much-maligned Dave Doeren’s Pack more than held their own head-to-head versus Dabo and Jimbo. That speaks to both the athletes accumulated on the NC State roster and the capabilities of Doeren’s staff. …. Yes, there was ECU and Boston College for those insisting on the half-full glass; but there should be optimism aplenty within The Murphy Center for future 7-8 W seasons. Which performances best fortell the 2017 season for The Wolfpack ??
For what it is worth …. Recruiting against “the hated rival 26 miles to the West” should go well. The all-important “We beat’em amid the pines” from late November is a “fact”…. Plus “The ominous NCAA Cloud” should hover o’er said pines for another 3-4-5 years… at least.
If “Trubisky leaves” (and I definitely would if I were him) the Heels will be in an offensive “re-build” along with the reality that while L
arry Fedora is a “good coach”; he is NOT the next “go-get-him guy” for ravenous Fat Cats at Top Tier programs. A “go-get-him guy” would not lose to both Duke and State and lose three straight bowl games. …. The “aluminum factor” in Chapel Hill will increase next year and the next and …..
I am not qualified to say why Larry Fedora is good but not great… or am I saying that “being good” is not “good enough” for UNCCH. I personally think “good” IS “good enough” for UNCCH. I would put Dave Who From Where in the same “good” category. “ALMOST beating Dabo and Jimbo” is still losing to Dabo and Jimbo.
So long as State and Carolina fans live/die comparing themselves with each other within their Triangle bubble, there will be enough yadda yadda boasting and chest-thumping to keep local water coolers and cul-de-sacs lively.
Take note of what “the other Dave” is building over in Camel City / W-Salem. If he can develop a consistent 6-7 Ws program with walk-ons and 2-stars “there”, he may be the best coach of the three – Fedora, Doeren, Clawson. Tobacco Road #4 – David Cutcliffe – is always going to be “a slave to injuries”. He will have a 1st team of skill position players… but will be woefully lacking in depth. By early October the walking wounded @ The Wally will always take its toll. IF he can catch lightning in a bottle like Grobe did in 2006, maybe Duke wins 8-9 every 3-4 years. You cannot build depth playing in front of 20,000 fans…. “on a good day”.
NEVER FORGET: A team is really only as strong as it’s 3rd string O-Line. Only 2-3 teams in The ACC have THAT depth of Juggernaut roster talent. No Tobacco Road program does or likely will.
Dabo has a For Real Juggernaut at Clemson. He will keep adding silly bling on top of silly bling and recruiting head-to-head against 
The SEC for prime meat-on-the-hoof. For all his goofy Dabo-ishness, he has become an Elite Coach. If he can keep his staff together with million $$$ Coordinators et al …. Clem will be Top Ten for the forseeable future. Question: Do all of Dabo’s caps have extra long bills or does he just have a very small head?
FWIW: It’s Dabo SWINNEY …. Not Sweeney. … and it’s Urban Meyer…. Not Meyers… Not Myers. … and Trubisky ... Not Trubinsky.
Same with Jimbo @ Tally now that he has turned down the one gig (LSU) he might have bailed for. FSU will, alas, continue to have “thug-alete” issues because that is what they recruit.
I don’t “like”Louisville. Never have…. Never will. Petrino and Petino and AD Jurich represent everything I deplore about Big Time College Sports. They run gangster programs and their fan base is fine with it. YUCK! Happy to see Petrino fold like a wet newspaper in his last 3-4 games. Good riddance.
Look out for The New Hokies. I thought there would be a noticeable drop-off from The Beamer Era. That definitely is not the case. The Hokies should continue to dominate UVa in-state…. Bud The Guru will keep their D strong as ever…. And Fuente will develop a more potent Offense than Beamer had. Expect VaTech to dominate whichever “division” they are in. The talent gap between VaTech and The Fedorians may go back to where it was 6-8-10 years ago.
I don’t see “The U” @ Miami getting any better than just “good”. In-state recruiting in Florida is going to be BRUTAL with Richt – The Butcher – Kiffin – Strong …. Plus Jimbo and Florida. The 4-5 stars will be spread out across the state like never before. Just losing 1-2 elite players in each class will make a roster talent difference at Tally, Gainesville, Coral Gables.
What about Pitt, GaTech, BC, Syracuse…. Who cares?
OH… I have decided to stop complaining about the “stoopid bowl situation”. Yes, there are 12-15 too many bowls but (1) ESPN needs holiday programming …. (2) Coaches want their “bowl bonuses” and (3) semi-literate 17 y/os think tacky rings and swag bags are cool.
The bowl situation is “stoopid”…. and fast food is “bad for you”. It Is what It Is! Accept it.
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Team BLSays has some “new strategies” for Here in 2017…. They will unfold in the days / weeks to come.
