The winners of the 2013 Orange Bowl, the Clemson Tigers enter the 2014 NCAA season without superstar receiver Sammy Watkins or all-time leading passer Tajh Boyd.
The No. 16 ranked Clemson Tigers take on the No. 12 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in what should be an interesting ACC-SEC match. The last time teams from those two conferences played one another was in the 2013 BCS National Championship between Florida State University and Auburn University.
Who Is Gone?
Clemson lost all-time leading passer Tajh Boyd, who was taken by the Jets in the 2014 NFL draft. The Tigers also lost their two best receivers, Martavis Bryant (Steelers) and Sammy Watkins, who was taken No. 4 overall by the Bills.
Georgia’s two biggest losses were QB Aaron Murray (Chiefs) and TE Arthur Lynch (Dolphins).
Who Is Here?
The Tigers are the defending Orange Bowl Champions, having defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes. Head coach Dabo Swinney has led the Tigers to three straight 10+ win seasona and is 51-23 overall as the team’s head coach, with a 33-12 conference record.
The Bulldogs hired former FSU defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who helped create one of the NCAA’s best defenses en route to their National Championship title in 2013.
Prediction: Clemson
With a high-octane passing attack and a Georgia team with a reputation for slow starts, another upset over a top-15 SEC team might be in the works today.
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