THE ROAR: Revenge of the Tigers | Weekend Takeaways | New Rankings

Welcome to THE ROAR everyone! This is the place to be if you want to play some Monday Morning Quarterback and talk all things Clemson Football. It’s been a long weekend for me and I’m sure it was a long one for some of y’all as well. So I’m gonna do us all a little favor here and get your week started with some quick hitters. We’re gonna get straight to the point today and keep this thing short and sweet. Let’s get it.

REVENGE OF THE TIGERS.

I said it last week, and man did my Tigers make me look good, it was not a good day to be an SC SState Bulldog. The Tigers came out of the gates firing this weekend. They clearly focused on gaining some offensive momentum this week. In my opinion, they did exactly what they needed. Did they do enough to help themselves in the rankings? I guess not, thanks to Iowa, but they helped themselves in the long run, regardless.

The Tigers came out of the gates on Saturday with a clear intention. Establish the run, something they failed to do in a full four quarters of their game against Georgia. The game started with a quick 16-yard run by Lyn-J Dixon, and the Tigers added on from there. Shortly after Lyn-J got the ball rolling, Kobe Pace took a handoff to the right, reversed field, and then carried - I mean literally carried - a defender 5+ yards on his back for another 16-yard run. DJ went on to cap off that drive with a 4-yard TD run.

Many Clemson fans were saying that they needed to hang 60+ on the Bulldogs to make up for their loss. I disagreed. Instead, I said that I just wanted to see some inspired and confident football from these guys. I am able to happily sit here and confidently say that, that is exactly what I saw. Are there still some things to clean up? Of course. Do they need to play better? Yes. Are we still waiting for them to “prove” themselves? Sure. But nevertheless, I saw them play with confidence and I think that this experience is everything that they needed to be able to start a winning streak that could propel them into the college football playoffs in a few months.

WEEKEND TAKEAWAYS.

I’ve got a few takeaways from this weekend's slate of games that I want to touch on. These are the things that I observed that I think need to be said and talked about amongst Tiger fans.They may not be the hottest takes and everything you’ll hear about on ESPN this week, but that's kind of the point, right?

1.  Breath. 

Last Monday, we woke up with the dreadful experience of having our team lose a regular-season game. Well, the fact of the matter is that teams lose during the regular season. They do it all the time and still make the playoffs. 

Swanny and I both talked about what needed to happen for the Tigers this season to make their way back into the top four. #1 was to play the best football that they can and run the table for the remainder of the season. So far their off to a good start.

2. Wait.

Seriously though. Other than Alabama, every team in the top 4 had a reasonable chance to drop a game at some point this season or do something that would showcase Clemson as the better team in the eyes of the committee. Well, this week it was Ohio State. Can’t be mad about that after what they did to Clemson in the Sugar Bowl last year, but I digress. Anyways, they ended up losing their game against Oregon, which opened the door up for a new team. I don’t think I quite expected that jump from Oregon but I do understand it. 

Clemson fans should still be excited about this. It proves that the parity in college football is very much alive and well. There will be more movement to come and more shocking upsets and shakeups. So what should Clemson do? Keep playing their best, win games, and wait for the other teams to beat themselves. Bellichick has been doing it for decades, why can’t Clemson?

NEW RANKINGS.

1. Alabama. Surprise, surprise.
2. Georgia. They narrowly defeated UAB 56-7, so I guess they deserve to stay.
3.  Oklahoma. Honestly, someone should’ve called the police. Oklahoma 76-0 over WCU.
4.  Oregon. This is where I actually found myself a little caught off-guard. I wasn't so sure that I expected them to jump from #12 to #4. I definitely thought they’d make a big jump to maybe #^ or #5 but I just hadn't considered them a top-four team yet. But after the dust settled on Saturday night and into Sunday, I made my peace with that. They played a hell of a game and if the committee thinks that they should be #4, I'd have to agree. I just can’t make a case for why they shouldn't be.
5. Clemson. Iowa. This was the heartbreaker for me. I thought that Clemson was going to move up to 5^th. I really expected it and when they didn't I may have shed one or two tears. But it’s okay, there's plenty of time for them to make the jump. I just didn't quite think that the committee would rank Clemson behind, Iowa and Oregon. I thought Clemson would move up one spot to #5 and be sandwiched in between these teams.

I can't believe how exciting this season has already become. As college football fan, I'm here for it. I love to see this level of competition and it adds an extra element to the game as a fan when you are watching your team fight for their seat at the table every single week. We’ve got a long way to go Tiger fans, but it will absolutely be a fun journey to the CFP.

JUST A TASTE.

I love me some Trevor Lawrence action. Honestly, if there’s any chance for me to sprinkle some Trevor Lawrence features into THE ROAR, I’m taking it. I’m not a Jags fan, but I’ll always root for this guy. Congrats to Trevor Lawrence on his first NFL touchdown pass.  No doubt that there’s plenty more to come.

A BIT OFF THE PATH.

I've been toying around with this segment. Sometimes we talk about fun things, something uplifting news, etc. Since the NFL season kicked off this weekend, I've got to ask some pretty hard-hitting questions, and this one from Fantasy Focus Live has been causing me headaches. Let me know what you think on Twitter @ClemsonSports.

I had a ton of stock in Zeke last season and the Cowboy's offense single-handedly hamstrung multiple fantasy teams for me. I know we're overreacting after week one but should we be terrified after his week 1 fantasy production? I am.