Analysis: Clemson offers intriguing yet inconsistent foil for Alabama
When Clemson is locked in, as it was for parts of the ACC title game Saturday, it looks like the one team capable of keeping Alabama from repeating as national champions. The problem is the Tigers seem unable to play well for an entire contest.
On a weekend when the top College Football Playoff contenders seemed determined to create doubts about their chances of winning the title - Washington quarterback Jake Browning was absolutely rattled by Colorado’s pass rush, while Alabama’s offense looked like the Crimson Tide unit least likely to put points on the board for long stretches against Florida - it appeared as if Clemson would be the one team to make a statement and solidify its credentials. Instead, the Tigers reminded everyone why they have seemed like a massive underachiever this season despite winning 12 games and a conference championship.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson was decisive as a runner and smooth as a passer, but didn’t get much help from running back Wayne Gallman. The offensive line was great until it wasn’t. The defensive line was dominant for stretches, but the secondary was completely lost in giving up long completions. Basically, Clemson offered up a comprehensive summation of its season, the good in holding off Louisville and winning on the road at Auburn and Florida State to the bad that necessitated a miraculous escape against NC State and ultimately a home loss to Pitt.
But would anyone really be surprised if Clemson put it all together starting on New Year’s Eve and raised a title on Jan. 9, 2017? Watson had Nick Saban so terrified in last season’s championship game that the best coach of this generation and one of the best ever gambled on trying to outscore Clemson. Watson has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal that can spread out and stretch even Alabama’s vaunted secondary. Freshman lineman Dexter Lawrence is a terror in the trenches, and Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts can be rattled.
Everyone knows which Alabama will show up in the CFP; the outstanding defense that shuts down the run and gets after the quarterback, superb special teams, and an offense capable of creating big plays when it gets out of its own way.
The same is true of the Huskies, with its fundamentals under coach Chris Petersen and lockdown secondary, or idle Ohio State, with its waves of talent.
No one can guarantee which Clemson will show up, and that’s where the intrigue of this playoff starts and ends. Watson could look like the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft or something decidedly worse. Gallman could be the quiet catalyst that makes the offense unstoppable or the sputtering spark plug that forces Watson to do everything. Coach Dabo Swinney and his staff could put together a masterpiece or repeats of the debacles against the Wolfpack and Panthers.
Clemson has the highest ceiling of any team that will be in the CFP. It might also have the lowest floor. Both Clemsons might show up in the Fiesta Bowl or for the title game in Tampa, and that’s what will make the Tigers so fascinating over the next few weeks.