A good portion of the nation despises the success of Clemson football, but that’s okay. It’s because the Tigers are the new big, bad wolf.
There’s a new hierarchy in College Football and it shows Clemson on top.
Five-straight CFB Playoff appearances, four National Championship appearances and two of the last three National Titles.
Over the course of the last half-decade, the Tigers have beaten several historically-respected programs in the CFB Playoff including Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and Oklahoma. From the success on the field, as well as elite-level recruiting that continues to get better, it’s clear that there has been a shift in the tides and much of the nation doesn’t like it.
For the last decade, College Football has been dominated by Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, as we head into 2020, it’s Clemson that holds the top spot in terms of the hierarchy in College Football.
Because of the hate built up across the nation, it’s almost as if ‘little ole Clemson’ has transformed itself into the big, bad wolf.
The Fiesta Bowl win over Ohio State is the perfect example.
The vast majority of the nation came into the game rooting for Ohio State- a program that has been generally disliked over the course of its history. As the Buckeyes took on the big, bad wolf, they had success.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 16-0 lead and looked as if they were in complete control, but Clemson didn’t go down all that easily.
The thing is this: When you’re going up against the big, bad wolf, you have to take him down when you have a chance. If you make mistakes, he’s going to capitalize.
You can deliver your hardest hits. You can give your best effort, but if you don’t take advantage of your opportunities when they are presented, he’s eventually going to rise back up and take control. That’s exactly what happened Saturday night in Glendale.
Ohio State delivered a few shots, gave its best effort and played with aggression. But the Buckeyes didn’t capitalize when they needed to most. They left points on the field early having to settle for field goals, they dropped potentially two touchdown passes and they couldn’t stop Clemson down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
To beat Clemson, you have to give your best four quarter and hope the Tigers make a few mistakes of their own. This was one of the most talented teams in the history of Ohio State and Clemson still found a way to come out on top. That tells you all you need to know about the totem pole when it comes to College Football.
Honestly, it’s similar to how the rest of the nation feels about the New England Patriots in the NFL.
Clemson will take on the LSU Tigers in New Orleans for the National Championship in a little less than two weeks. If LSU wants to come away with the victory, they’ll need to come out swinging and take advantage of mistakes. They can’t allow Clemson to stay in the game and expect to win. Instead, they’ve got to find a way to close out when they have a chance or they’ll suffer a fate similar to Ohio State when it’s all said and done.
The nation can continue to hate all they want, but the truth is very simple: Clemson is the new big, bad wolf of College Football.