FOX Sports writer: Clemson needs to beat Alabama for good of CFB
By Andrew Olson
Published:
FOX Sports college football writer Stewart Mandel won’t be getting a warm welcome in Tuscaloosa any time soon.
For his Monday column, Mandel presents a case that Clemson needs to be Alabama for the good of college football. His main argument is that the Crimson Tide’s dominance is too boring. Mandel would rather watch Clemson QB Deshaun Watson throw jump balls to Tigers wideouts than Alabama easily beat Washington and Florida without suspense:
Last week, the Tide offense practically sleepwalked through a national semifinal game against Pac-12 champion Washington and still won 24-7. Before that, ‘Bama beat Florida 54-16 in the formerly competitive event known as the SEC championship game.
Again: Boring.
Clemson, on the other hand, is anything but boring. The Tigers have Watson, the two-time Heisman finalist who loves to chuck the ball downfield and see if stud receiver Mike Williams might just grab it. Sure, he might get intercepted. See if he cares. He’ll come back at you again next series.
Tigers players think there are people like Mandel out there who will be rooting for them tonight.
“I’m sure a lot of people are looking to see a new face at the top,” Clemson LB Ben Boulware told Mandel. “Alabama’s earned everything they have gotten, they have earned their success, they have earned their brand for the way they played over the past couple years. But hopefully we might have a couple new fans (Monday).”
Clemson OL Mitch Hyatt took it a step further, calling the Tigers “America’s Team.”
Mandel’s full column on why the sport needs Alabama to lose can be read here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
