Clemson Football: 2008 Is Year of the Tiger with Tommy Bowden's Talented Squad

As the 2008 college football season approaches there are five teams on everybody's short list for the BCS title; Oklahoma, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida and Southern Cal. I'm here to tell you move over big five and make room for one more because the little school just off I-85 in South Carolina is poised to make a run. 

Down south Clemson is widely regarded as an out of place SEC school trapped in the ACC. Unlike other ACC fans [not including those late to the ACC party] Clemson folks tailgate like there's no tomorrow, worship at Howard's rock and couldn't tell you the basketball starting five if their life depended on it. Football is a way of life in South Carolina and this year Tigertown USA has got a special team to get excited about.

Tommy Bowden has truly assembled a first class blend of talent, experience and depth to make a strong push for the first ACC title since 1991 and the first NCAA title since Danny Ford's 1981 championship. Just like the big five of OU, OSU, USC, UF and, Clemson has all the significant cogs of a championship machine in place, take a look at the major pieces that will lead Clemson to its first title game in over 25 years.

Quarterback is the most critical part of any successful college football team and Clemson has a damn good one returning in Cullen Harper. Finishing ranked 22nd in the nation with a 140.96 passer rating and 27 touchdowns to 6 interceptions Harper is a projected early first round draft pick. He is without a doubt a one of the top four pro style quarterbacks in college football today along with Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford and Todd Boeckman. He'll be starring behind a line that makes up for its lack of experience with a high levels of talent and athleticism.

Teaming with Harper to round out the best backfield in the nation will be James Davis [10 rushing tds] and CJ Spiller [5 total tds]. The Thunder and Lightning tagteam backfield will pick up where Felix Jones and Darren McFadden left off as the most electrifying tandem in the game. They're a dynamic force that excels not only in Tommy Bowden's multi-faceted run game but also in screens, swing passes and intermediate route running as well. This duo will drop jaws this season, especially Spiller who is a projected mid-first rounder in the 2009 NFL draft.

While the rushing offense will give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares the quality receivers returning make the passing game quite formidable. Aaron Kelly returns after an All-ACC first team season that saw him finish 26th in the nation with 1,081 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. The always reliable Tyler Grisham returns along with Brian Linthicum, Rendrick Taylor and the always dangerous Jacoby Ford round out the returning receivers that will help Harper take advantage of 8-man fronts used to stop Spiller and Davis.  Brandon Clear a redshirt freshman had an outstanding spring and the Hoover, AL native has got folks salivating over what the 6'4", 205 lbs dynamic receiver can add to the Tigers already potent attack.

On the other side of the ball Clemson is as talented athletically as they've ever been, however the glaring flaw is the lack of experience within the front seven. Losing Philip Merling and leading tacklers Tramaine Billie and Nick Watkins leave less than seasoned players to battle for those starting positions. Daquan Bowers, one of the most heralded recruits in Clemson history, has enrolled early and looks as good, if not better than advertised which should serve to solidify the defensive line and give them quality depth.

While the front seven is long on talent but short on experience the back four should be the class of the ACC. The starting secondary combined for 22 pass break and 13 interceptions and features a Bronko Nagurski watch list member in Hamlin. Safeties Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemons teamed with corners Crezdon Butler and Chris Chancellor to all finish as top ten tacklers that are as equally adept at playing the run as the pass. Backups Marcus Gilchrist, Byron Maxwell and DeAndre McDaniels all saw significant time and will strong be contributors. This unit will be the heart and soul of the Clemson defense.

The difference between this talented Clemson squad and the other teams within the top five of college football has nothing to do with the teams at all. The difference is their schedule, Clemson can very realistically run through the 2008 season without playing a team ranked higher than 20. Clemson's toughest games of the year are the out of conference contests with Alabama and rival South Carolina. Of their league games only Boston College has caused the Tigers problems lately. BC has been Clemson kryptonite thus far but this season the Eagles look to be only a shell of the team that has stymied the Tigers for the last three years. 

The late season struggles for the Tigers have been well documented in recent years. Second half collapses have come to epitomize the Bowden era in Tigertown and this season he has the talent and the team to turn the corner and begin to dominate an ACC that is weak for the time being. Nothing short of a conference championship will suffice for Tiger Nation and Bowden's team is talented enough to deliver the ACC title and a little extra back to Clemson, South Carolina.