It is so funny, we fired our last coach because he didn't utilize what we had (mainly spiller). When we finally do that, we are "dead" if we lose him. Coaches scheme to their best players. Spiller did everything for us, because we wanted him to do everything. He wasn't even the leading rusher in the game last night (that would be sophomore Jamie Harper).
Seriously, the teams under Bowden were downright soft. Our average linebacker size was about 6'1'' 190 lbs. We are switching to the larger style LB's, and are actually looking to recruit lineman. Being tough is something that takes a while to instill in a team that has been soft for ten years.
This season was very close to being very good, but it was just pretty good.
Lost to GT by 3 early in the season on an illegal fake field goal. Lost by 4 to TCU. Lost by 3 to Maryland (only wtf game). Only bad loss was to South Carolina in the rivalry game, and then lost by 4 to GT for the second time. Those are very close games.
Coach Swinney is a good game-adjustment coach, and a good tough motivator. He learned this after working his way from a walk-on at Alabama, to starting his senior year for the national title squad.
http://clemson.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=882281 read this article. It outlines what makes him great. He overcame his father beating him and his brothers, took his family under his wing, and walked on at Bama. He will succeed at Clemson because he works hard at everything he does and because he, in his own words, has "never failed at anything in my life."
Say what you will about Clemson and the talent levels, but the truth is, the talent has been at the skill positions and the lines have been the large weakness of the team. By focusing on the recruitment of lineman, we should be able to win some of those close games we have tended to lose. Clemson isn't some giant school; we have 15 K students. But the commitment to sports is there, and I think Dabo might just have been a great hire (I was skeptical, but changed my mind seeing him this year).
Clemson under Bowden was a team that quit, and this team never quit. I believe there is something to be said for that alone. 9 wins is pretty good and is probably a bit better than I expected this season. Remember Jim Tressel went 7-5 in his first season at OSU, and Nick Saban went 6-6 two years ago at Bama. Give the coach time, I think he has all the tools to be a good one.
About the ACC/SEC thing? Who cares. We finished about 4th in the ACC (VT and Miami finished with better records, but were in the coastal division) and Kentucky has a decent little football team (I like that Frosh QB). A W is a W, and is always better than losing.
