New coach, same old story for Clemson

Oct 22, 2008 - 11:16 PM By Jim Ralabate PA SportsTicker College Football Editor

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Dabo Swinney was hot under the collar when he made his first pre-game speech as Clemson's head coach.

Five days after replacing the embattled Tommy Bowden, Swinney angrily sized up the Tigers' odds against Georgia Tech this past Saturday, loudly questioning how his team could be a 3-point home underdog in an impassioned speech that was televised by ESPN.

Here's a news flash for you Dabo: you can scream and yell all you want. In the end, Las Vegas was right to install your team as an underdog in Death Valley.

That's because, regardless of who the head coach is, Clemson simply is not that good. The Tigers lack talent and depth at too many positions, particularly along their inexperienced offensive line.

And the players who do have talent - like quarterback Cullen Harper - lack the toughness and leadership skills to help Clemson overcome its obvious flaws.

Bowden, who "resigned" three days after benching Harper, became a pariah at Clemson during a 10-year stint defined predominantly by disappointing performances from underachieving teams.

Several players publicly voiced their satisfaction with the coach's ouster, including Harper, who told ESPN.com that Bowden "got what he deserved."

Real classy Cullen - what a nice thing to say about the man that recruited you as an injury-prone high schooler who played just two games as a senior.

After going 9-4 last year, Clemson was installed as the preseason favorite to win the ACC and received the No. 9 ranking in the first poll largely because of Harper, who was named the conference's preseason Player of the Year.

And how did the Tigers handle those lofty expectations? They fell flat on their collective faces. And who took the fall for the mess that this season has deteriorated into?

Not Harper, who has stunk up the joint on a weekly basis and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. Not the vaunted running back tandem of James Davis and C.J. Spiller, who have combined to average a pedestrian 4.7 yards per carry against FBS opponents.

As always, when a team underperforms, the scapegoat was the coach, and Bowden certainly caught his share of flak on the way out the door.

Among the loudest critics were the father-son tag team of Jeff and Cullen Harper, who both blasted Bowden's decision to name freshman Willy Korn as Clemson's starting quarterback for the Georgia Tech game.

"I'd call it karma," Jeff Harper said. "I thought it needed to be done. I think anytime a head coach or someone in a leadership position starts to place blame on his coaches and players, it weakens their respect on the team."

While Bowden was getting roasted in the locker room and the press, Swinney was greeted to a hero's welcome in Clemson, which was acting as if it had hired the next Knute Rockne.

Well if Saturday's 21-17 loss to Georgia Tech was any indication, Clemson may have hired the next Greg Robinson.

"They played with passion and fight today, and this is just the start of a unified Clemson team," Swinney said. "This is just the start of a seven-week plan to lay the foundation and rebuild this program."

The first step Swinney should take in rebuilding his program is to bench the mistake-prone Harper and stick with the highly-touted Korn, who was knocked out of the Georgia Tech game but likely will start next year.

After all, Harper has been one of the key culprits in a season that could end without a bowl bid.

"We're 100 percent behind coach Swinney and we're going to keep fighting," Harper said Saturday. "He's brought us together; we're a big family."

Some family.

Clemson (3-4) has five games remaining, including three on the road (Boston College, Florida State and Virginia). The Tigers will need to go 4-1 over that stretch in order to be eligible for a bowl game.

That will be a tall order to fill as long as Harper is under center. The erratic senior threw two TDs but also tossed two ill-advised interceptions against Georgia Tech, further damaging his already plummeting draft stock.

How's that for karma, Jeff Harper?

Tommy Bowden certainly was not the man to take Clemson to the next level - that became clear this year.

But it wasn't all his fault, as Dabo Swinney already has found out.

THE BAD, THE WORSE AND THE UGLY: Every week, PA SportsTicker's college football staff will sort and rank the worst five teams in the country. Only BCS conference schools are eligible for this prestigious list.

There were several changes in this week's rankings, as Rutgers and Texas A&M both fell from the poll. So without further ado, here are the rankings, with the worst team listed first:

1. Washington State (1-7). The Cougars were a unanimous No. 1 following their terrific performance in a 69-0 loss to USC. Washington State, which received all seven first-place votes for this poll, failed to even get the ball across midfield against the Trojans.

The game was such a beatdown that staffers began debating if it was the biggest blowout they had ever seen. Kudos to Washington State for entering those types of discussions.

2. Washington (0-6). The only winless team from a BCS conference, Washington did not have a chance to catch Washington State courtesy of a bye last week. But Willingham's Huskies will have another chance for a stinker this week when they host Ty's former team, Notre Dame.

3. Syracuse (1-6). After a pair of close calls against Pittsburgh and West Virginia, the Orange returned to form last week with a trademark 45-13 loss to South Florida. Syracuse managed just nine yards of total offense in the second half. Time for Greg Robinson to update his resume.

4. Indiana (2-5). The Hoosiers jumped into the rankings thanks to their impressive 55-13 loss to Illinois. Indiana very well could finish 3-9 overall with remaining home dates with Northwestern, Central Michigan and Wisconsin followed by road dates at Penn State and Purdue.

5. Iowa State (2-5). The Cyclones barely edged Texas A&M for the No. 5 spot following a 35-7 loss to Nebraska. Since winning their first two games, the Cyclones have lost five straight by a total of 73 points. Huge game in Ames this week, as Iowa State hosts the Aggies.

Also receiving votes: Texas A&M, Rutgers, Purdue.

WEEKLY WEIS WATCH: Not much to say this week since Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish were on a bye.

This week should - added emphasis on should - result in a win against lowly Washington, which has lost its last two points by a combined total margin of 55 points.

Washington could potentially give Notre Dame trouble here, as the Huskies might be inspired to deliver a signature win for Willingham against his former team.

But if Notre Dame cannot escape with a win against an awful Washington team, Weis probably should just stay in the Pacific Northwest.

EXTRA POINTS: Mike Gundy is a man; he's 41. But the Oklahoma State coach was not even born the last time the Cowboys were this good. Oklahoma State rolled past Baylor last weekend to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1945. Look for that start to come to an end this week when the Cowboys visit top-ranked Texas. ... Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor could be the next Vince Young of college football - a dynamic pass-run threat who can single-handedly carry his team. The true freshman will face a major test this week when the Buckeyes host third-ranked Penn State. Here's hoping that Pryor's pro career goes better than Young's.

Question or comment? E-mail james.ralabate@pa-sportsticker.com.