On your mark: Tigers have opportunity to forever redefine ‘Clemsoning’

Remember the time when Clemson was a national laughing stock? When the mere mention of the school was used in an effort to describe its notorious propensity for inexplicable losses?

Yeah … me neither.

Since taking the reins of the Clemson program midway through the 2008 season, head coach Dabo Swinney has worked tirelessly to build a program that can compete year in and year out, manufacturing such success that Tiger fans and pundits would begin to forget the memory of the team’s more infamous defeats.

With one more win, Swinney’s plan will have come full circle. One more victory, and the infamous term fans of the football program publicly despise – “Clemsoning” – will have earned a new meaning.

Champions.

Nothing worth having is easily acquired. With that in mind, Clemson’s path to being 60 minutes from college football royalty was anything but smooth.

Even Swinney’s ascension to the head coaching position at the school was borne out of troubling times in Death Valley. During a season in which the Tigers failed to come close to their lofty expectations, the former University of Alabama wide receiver was named the football program’s interim head coach following the departure of Tommy Bowden.

Yet Swinney’s promotion seemed to bring Clemson a shot in the arm during a season that for all other circumstances was dead to rights. In his first season, the Tigers went 4-3 – and more importantly, trounced instate rival South Carolina.

Certainly, that was enough to earn the job. But what about becoming respected as a national program?

There would be more bumps in the road: a 6-7 finish in 2010 a year after claiming an ACC Atlantic Division title; or finally earning that coveted ACC championship, but the prevailing memory of the 2011 season to be of a 70-33 whitewashing at the hands of West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

Following Swinney’s initial year, the next five would go without a win against the hated Gamecocks, posing yet another enormous hurdle into the type of program he was attempting to build.

However, while most of us were seeing a mere collection of bricks at the Tiger coach’s Death Valley construction site, Swinney had created a sound foundation cemented by solid recruiting – in particular the ability to relate to today’s group of young people – staff stability and most importantly, winning those high-profile games.

Since the 2012 season, Clemson has beaten a number of college football’s high-profile programs. Among the programs whose names have been laid to rest in the cemetery outside of the Memorial Stadium include:

▪  Auburn

▪  LSU

▪  Georgia

▪  Ohio State

▪  Oklahoma (twice)

▪  Notre Dame

▪  Florida State

Quite a list, huh? Not to mention a pair of victories over South Carolina since losing five straight to the Gamecocks.

Now, Clemson looks to add one more notch to its belt … and what a notch it would be.

No college football program over the past decade has proven more dominant than Alabama, the Crimson Tide seeking to win their fourth national title in seven years on Monday night – a feat that has not been accomplished since the 1940s.

Yet few know more what Alabama brings to the table than Swinney, a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1992 national championship team.

Oddly enough, he shares a similar distinction between the last coach to lead Clemson to a national title in 1981 – Alabama alum and former Tiger coach Danny Ford.

With such history on your side, it would seem almost as if the football gods were wearing orange, purple and white.

Even if it were the case, I doubt Swinney would desire the easy way out.

After all, nothing during his time at Clemson has come easy.

Play time over for Panthers

With the bye week now behind them, Carolina has thrown all its chips to the center of the table.

In the postseason, it all boils down to one common theme – win or go home.

Or in the 15-1 Panthers’ case, “Super Bowl or bust.”

Seemingly, Carolina has played with house money all season. Remember, the Panthers’ postseason prospects were supposed to be severely diminished by the absence of star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, lost during training camp to an ACL injury.

But after 16 games, the team stands two games from Super Bowl 50, riding into the second season with the NFL’s best record.

Their reward? Another date with the Seattle Seahawks, who are looking to advance to their third consecutive Super Bowl.

Over the course of the past four seasons, the teams have played five times. Of those, Seattle has won four.

However, Carolina leaped a major hurdle in October when it overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Seahawks, 27-23.

Now, in order for the Panthers to reach their goal of a championship, they must again attempt to get past the team that for the past few seasons stood in the way.

Each of the NFL’s great teams have needed to get past an old nemesis before finally getting to glory. It’s Carolina’s turn.

Let’s see if they can seize the moment.

Of note

It’s a good time to head to your local high school basketball gym this week, with region play tipping off for Grand Strand area teams. Hometown hoop stars can really use your support as they pursue an opportunity at postseason play. Girls games tip off at 6 p.m., boys games begin at 7:30 p.m. … Both the South Carolina men’s and women’s basketball squads remain undefeated on the season. While the men moved to 15-0 on Saturday with a 69-65 victory over Vanderbilt, the women continued their winning ways Sunday with an 83-58 rout of Missouri. South Carolina certainly is not known for its basketball program, but it certainly is encouraging when both teams can excel.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 3:00 AM with the headline "On your mark: Tigers have opportunity to forever redefine ‘Clemsoning’."