My C.J. Spiller Blog

Clemson finished the 2009 season at 9-5, capping things off with a win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. It's probably bad karma to complain about a nine-win campaign, but 2009 could have been really special. The Tigers should have never lost to Maryland, the worst team in the ACC, and they couldn't hold onto a pair of fourth quarter leads against ACC champion Georgia Tech in two meetings last season.

After getting so close to reaching a BCS bowl the Tigers will enter the 2010 season with some added motivation, but that may not be enough if quarterback Kyle Parker doesn't return. Also a Clemson outfielder, Parker was taken in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. Going in the first round means a big payday, and that may be too much for Parker to pass up.

Offense: Parker showed a lot or promise in his freshman season when he threw for 2,526 yards and 20 touchdowns. If he is back, I expect even more production. If he isn't back, the starting job will be handed to Tajh Boyd. There is no doubting the freshman's arm, but the team would miss the level of experience that Parker brings to the table. The offense will already miss C.J. Spiller. The Clemson standout was arguably the most explosive player in all of college football last season, a threat to go the distance every time he touched the ball. The Tigers will miss his big play ability, but there is reason to believe they can be one of the best running teams in the ACC again. With four of five starting offensive lineman back, running backs Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper should find plenty of holes to run through. In fact, the duo averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season when spelling Spiller. Ellington averaged 7.2 yards per carry himself while rushing for 491 yards and four scores. Keep in mind that Spiller only averaged 5.6 yards per carry. Losing wide receiver Jacoby Ford and tight end Michael Palmer deals a couple pretty big blows to the passing game. Xavier Dye, who caught 14 passes for 236 yards and three scores in 2009, should emerge as Clemson's biggest threat through the air.

Defense: Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele had the opportunity to leave for his alma mater Tennessee, but he decided to stick around. With Steele back, a defense which was among the best in the ACC last season will have a chance to be even better in 2010. The Tigers ranked No. 3 in the ACC (20th nationally) in total defense, allowing only 314.3 yards per game. They also ranked No. 4 (25th nationally) in scoring defense, giving up only 20.4 points per game. It all starts up front with Jarvis Jenkins, Brandon Thompson, Da'Quan Bowers and Andre Branch. All four of these guys are NFL-caliber players. Across the back, DeAndre McDaniel and Rashard Hall form the best safety tandem in the ACC. McDaniel picked off eight passes last season and returned them for 182 yards. The linebacker unit is a bit of a question mark as we near the season.

Prediction: 2nd ACC Atlantic - Returning to the ACC title game largely depends on if Parker will be back under center. But if he isn't back, Clemson should be able to rely on its running game and defense to pull out a second place finish in the Atlantic.

Be sure to check out my 2010 ACC football predictions to see how I have the rest of the league shaping up.

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The Clemson Tigers won the Atlantic Division last season with a 9-5 record overall and a 6-2 mark in ACC play. Dabo Swinney has this team headed in the right direction, but it will be tough for him to get the Tigers back to the top of the Atlantic considering many key players are gone, including the electrifying C.J. Spiller at running back. He was the heart and soul of this offense and a huge factor on special teams.

Check out my team preview of the offense and defense Clemson has to offer below, as well as my predictions on the Tigers in terms of the ACC.

Offense:

QB Kyle Parker has decided to return to the football team this season and put off pursuing his professional baseball career for the time being. He threw 20 touchdown passes last year for Clemson and is a huge part of the offense. He'll be playing behind an experience offensive line that returns the top six players on the depth chart from last season. This group has combined for 88 starts in their careers.

To take some of the pressure off of Parker, somebody must emerge in the backfield. Clemson put up 170.4 rushing yards per game last year and that will be hard to match with Spiller gone. Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper figure to combine to fill Spiller's shoes in the backfield. Even more pressing is the lack of experienced playmakers at wide receiver. Clemson's leading returnee at WR is Xavier Dye, who had just 14 receptions last year.

Defense:

The defense is the backbone of this team this season. Clemson welcomes back seven starters on this unit, led by defensive tackles Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thomas. Each has an NFL future and will wreak havoc in opposing backfields this season. The defensive end positions are in good hands with Da'Quan Bowers leading the way along with Andre Branch, Kortnei Brown and Malliciah Goodman who all got playing time last year.

The secondary will have to replace a combined 84 starts from cornerbacks Chris Chancellor and Crezdon Butler, but seniors Byron Maxwell and Marcus Gilchrist welcome the challenge. The secondary could be a strength considering Rashard Hall and DeAndre McDaniel return at safety. McDaniel is a preseason All-American candidate. Junior Brandon Maye is the only returning starter at linebacker, so this is the biggest area of concern defensively.

ACC Prediction: 2nd Atlantic Division - Considering this side of the ACC is down, the Clemson Tigers have a decent shot to repeat as Atlantic champs. But I think Florida State is the most complete team on this side and will prevail in the end. Still, the Tigers have perhaps the best defense this side of the conference has to offer and it will keep Clemson in games this year. The problem is that the Tigers lack playmakers offensively, with very little experience in the backfield and at wide receiver. So even though Parker is back, he won't have any proven weapons. A second-place finish in this division is the likely scenario.

If you want to see our 2010 ACC football predictions article, then feel free to check it out as well. College football lines show Clemson at +700 to win the ACC in 2010.

College Football

The Clemson Tigers went 9-5 on College Football Picks in 2009 and the team will not be as nearly as talented as they were at the skilled positions in the C.J. Spiller era but the team stall has a chance to return to the ACC championship game. Second year coach Dabo Sweeney had a nice coaching debut last year but has his work cut out for him this season. Clemson went 9-5 in 2009, losing the ACC title game 39-34 to Georgia Tech but ended the season by beating Kentucky in the Music City Bowl 21-13. The tigers were 9-5 against the spread, going over the betting total odds 8 times and under 6 times. The Clemson offense scored a little over 31 points per game and that was 28th in the nation. The offense as a whole ranked 74th in College football averaging 362.4 yards per game but a lot of that production will be missing now that spiller is gone. The defense ranked 20th nationally giving up 314.3 yards per contest and allowed 20.4 points per game. The pass defense was exceptionally good ranking 7th in the country.

In addition to replacing Spiller the Tigers may also be without the quarterback who led them to the ACC Atlantic division title last season. Kyle parker had a great baseball season and there is a strong possibility he could call it quits on the gridiron to concentrate on a pro baseball career. If Parker does return he will have 7 returning starters who made at least 6 starts in 2009, four of them offensive lineman, if Parker decides to pursue his baseball career, redshirt freshman Taj Boyd will probably be under center. Running Back Andre Ellington showed flashes last season rushing for 491 yards on just 68 carries and Jamie Harper had 418 yards on 80 carries. Wide receiver Jacoby Ford will also be missed and Clemson will be counting on Xavier Dye and Terrance Ashe at that position.

The 2010 Clemson Tigers defense will be strong on the defensive line and in the secondary but the linebackers will be tested often. DeAndrea McDaniel has superstar written all over him and will be a Thorpe award candidate as well as one of the best defensive players in the ACC. T Jarvis Jenkins and Da'Quan Bowers are 2 of 3 starters returning on the defensive line. Brandon Maye had 96 tackles last season but is the only proven linebacker. This sports handicapper believes Clemson will go 7-5 overall in 2010.

Greg C Nelson