Clemson Football: An open letter to the ‘last year doesn’t matter’ crowd

We’ve heard it all season when people talk about Clemson football: “Last year doesn’t matter.” Well, we have news for those continuing to use that phrase.

The 2019 Clemson football team is 11-0 and on its way to potentially completing another perfect regular season.

Despite the Tigers’ success and current 26-game winning streak, we have heard fans week-after-week use one simple phrase when talking about Clemson football: “Last year doesn’t matter.”

Fans and analysts alike have used that phrase as a discredit attempt to Clemson and its weak schedule. First, they were yelling about how the Tigers shouldn’t be No. 1 in the nation. Next, they were saying that Clemson shouldn’t be in the top-four. Now that many programs have lost and it’s clear that Clemson football is a top-four team, the argument has changed to ‘we don’t really know who Clemson is,’ and ‘the Tigers won’t be able to compete against the likes of LSU and Ohio State.’

Well, we have a little bit of news for those who continue to act as if last year didn’t happen: It did.

The same Clemson football team that put up 44 points- and could’ve hung 50 if it wanted to- on Alabama’s all-world team is still here. The Tigers have the same quarterback, running back, wide receivers and offensive line. While the defense lost some key pieces, Clemson still hold one of the top spots in the nation and, oh by the way, the Tigers have the nation’s best defensive coordinator in Brent Venables.

But it’s not just all that returned from last year. It’s the fact that this team is better than last year’s team at this same point.

Clemson is averaging more points per game (45.9) than last year’s team (44.3). The Tigers are also giving up less points per game (10.7) than last year’s nationally-leading defense (13.1). Clemson is averaging more yards per game (543.1) than last year’s explosive offense (528.0).

Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, Lyn-J Dixon. They’re all improved from last season.

The truth is this: Any fan who wants to pretend that Clemson football doesn’t belong or that the Tigers aren’t one of the most complete teams in the nation clearly doesn’t watch the games. Instead, they rely on media narratives and hide behind silly stats that don’t show the whole story.

For example, people act as if Trevor Lawrence has regressed. Why? Because they haven’t watched the games. I bet you didn’t know Lawrence has now attempted 111 passes without an interception (second-longest active streak in the country) and has thrown 16 touchdown passes without a pick, according to Tim Bourrett. Yes, it seems like he’s really struggling.

Yes, Clemson has played a relatively easy schedule, but I will point out that conferences like the Big Ten and SEC are allowed to have teams remain in the top-25 based off of name alone. The ACC is punished for losing, but Big Ten and SEC teams are given ‘quality losses’ for playing each other.

In many cases, these programs are rewarded for beating overrated ranked teams that were only ranked to begin with because the media put them in its preseason poll. That seems like the point in the article where we should yell “LAST YEAR DOESN’T MATTER!” Talk about hypocritical?

The point of this post isn’t to say that the ACC is good or difficult, it’s to point out that Clemson- by itself- is elite and the Tigers haven’t gone anywhere. Trying to discredit Clemson because of its schedule would be the same thing as trying to say the New England Patriots aren’t good because they play in a bad AFC East Division. In the same way, to ignore last season is to ignore what the Tigers have continued to do over and over and over again.

If you’re an LSU, Ohio State or Georgia fan and you think Clemson is a free pass to the National Championship game, you’re going to be rudely awakened. The Tigers have as much talent and depth as anyone, and more experience than any other program in the country.

Any analyst or fan who would argue otherwise clearly hasn’t watched Clemson play with their own eyes.