The Clemson football program has ascended to heights never reached before, but the Tigers shouldn’t ease up on their main competition.
Over the past few months, we’ve released several articles comparing Clemson football and Alabama.
We’ve dispelled theories from SEC fans that the Crimson Tide were at a disadvantage because of their so-called “difficult” schedule. We stood up for the Tigers when people questioned or doubted them despite the fact that they just came away with a 44-16 victory over the supposed ‘best team in College Football history.’
But, as tempting as it is to believe that the Clemson football program is on a mountain by itself, it should be noted that the Tigers don’t need to ease up on their competition.
When you look at the last four seasons between Clemson and Alabama, there has been a trend. The losing team has come back with a vengeance and a chip on their shoulder the following season.
That’s why the two programs have traded victories (Bama in 2015, Clemson in 2016, Bama in 2017 and Clemson in 2018).
It’s clear that the Tigers had a chip on their shoulder when they played the Crimson Tide this past year in the National Championship game.
It’s also clear to me that Alabama will play with a chip on their shoulder for the entire 2019 season with an eye on getting revenge for last year’s beat down. The cupboard certainly isn’t bare at Alabama. The Crimson Tide return a ton of talent from their offense and have one of the two best coaches in the nation in Nick Saban.
It’s clear that, if the two teams should play again in 2019, the Tigers will get Alabama’s best shot.
Does that mean that Clemson football fans should be worried? Absolutely not. The Tigers return their fair share of talent in 2019, including Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross and plenty of other key pieces on the defense.
The point that we’re trying to make here, really, is two-fold: 1. Alabama deserves respect. 2. Clemson deserves respect.
These are the two best programs in the country and they have separated themselves from the rest of the College Football world, at least for the time being. The Tigers were absolutely the best team in 2018 and they return a lot of their talent this season, but they need to remain focused on the goal and continue to get better.
Don’t settle for 44-16. Instead, continue to work to increase the gap. Let best be the standard, and that means respecting your opponent and improving as a program. Take the high road- which is something that a lot of Bama and SEC fans haven’t done- and get better as a result.