Every so often, a sports team plays in a game that, for one reason or another, means more than most others. Most of the time, this can be directly tied to standings or playoff races or chasing a winning record, or any number of other measuring sticks that teams and fans use. But in the world of college football there is something else that is always at stake. Something that can't really be scientifically observed or mathematically quantified. The limits of language force one to choose from a list of words or phrases to describe this "something," even if one word really doesn't do the job. One word that comes close to expressing what is on the line for certain college football teams, week in and week out, is "respect." But "respect" in this context means a heck of a lot more than how your friends or co-working think about the team/school that you love so much. Respect also includes how the program feels about its self. That covers players, coaches, administrators potential recruits, die-hard fans, half-ass fans and even "walmart" fans.
Even those cerebral fans who would like to shrug off such a heavy concept, reasoning that football is just a game and it is meant to simply be enjoyed, know exactly what I am talking about. This concept of respect is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear that Alabama is about to travel to play Duke. You don't have to have your analysis spreadsheet in front of you to know what you think about that game. Before the names of coaches and players come into your head; before the stats; before the records; before any specific contemplation whatsoever, your brain skips to thinking, "Boy, that's gonna be ugly." Why is that? Because Alabama has built a reputation in your head without you even given them permission. Alabama players, coaches, fans and potential recruits all have that same reputation floating around in their head. That is respect.
No matter how focused Clemson people want to seem, they want respect for their program and they want it bad. Clemson folks have been tortured time and time again when they have a chance to move forward as a program. Think about that expression for a second... "moving forward as a program." What does that mean? How do you quantify it? Well, it's all about what is in people's heads. The only way to change what is in people's heads is to win or lose in key games. Clemson has been handed many opportunities over the years. In the days of Danny Ford, when a line was drawn in the sand, Clemson would be up to the challenge more times than not and people knew that Clemson football meant someone was going to get smacked in the mouth. Now, not so much. Clemson has won their share of big games and taken efforts to move forward as a program, but before the season is over they have taken a step right back and still find themselves in college football's purgatory: mediocrity.
So how does Clemson finally and permanently bust out of this limbo? There are 3 huge monkeys on Clemson's back that keep the perception of mediocrity squarely in place. Three things that will keep Clemson mediocre regardless of close losses to Auburn and Atlantic Division Championships and beating it's SEC rival most of the time. These three things are: no BCS bowl games, no ACC titles since 1991, and no 10 win seasons since 1990. These are 3 things that, every single year, the Clemson Tigers can erase. True, none of these potential feats will instantly make Clemson an established, elite program, but I will tell you right now they are all prerequisites for doing so. So what does any of this have to do with Miami? Clemson can do all of those things starting at high noon tomorrow. Tomorrow marks the latest line in the sand. Miami is a top 15 team and the game will be on national television. Does Clemson deserve to be thought as one of the big boys in the ACC? Well, then they need to beat Miami at home. Has the time finally come for Clemson to end the streak of no ACC titles? Well, then the Tigers need to be 1-0 in the ACC 24 hours from now. I expect Clemson people to have their war faces on for this one. The line is in the sand, let's see what happens.
