Clemson, Dabo Swinney continue domination of SEC with Texas A&M win

With a dominant performance against Texas A&M, Clemson continues its run against the SEC’s elite. It’s all part of an unprecedented streak against the reigning Best Conference In College Football.

Clemson buried the Aggies Saturday, and the score (24-10) hides how dominating an outcome it was. The Tigers held Texas A&M to 3 points until a last minute touchdown brought A&M to within 14. In doing so, Clemson situated itself to roll through its ACC slate

The offense isn’t running on all cylinders yet, but it’s starting to move. Trevor Lawrence started to shows signs that his Freshman campaign was no fluke. The defense made Kellen Mond look pedestrian and stifled another promising Jimbo Fisher offense. What a difference home field and a season starting make. It turns out that Clemson doesn’t need a fulling running offense to dominate.

Even if Jimbo Fisher (who must have taken the points) didn’t call a timeout to score, 24-3 wouldn’t be indicative of how badly this game was for Texas A&M. Clemson left some points on the table. Travis Etienne wasn’t himself on the ground. The name Aggies, bring to mind stout, hearty farmers, making a life in the tough terrain of the middle of Texas. Strong folks emblematic of America’s heartland. Clemson made those Aggies, the toughest opponent on its schedule this year, look like a newborn calf, not yet able to stand.

That is nothing new for Clemson, though. Since 2012, they have, more so than any team not named Alabama, owned the SEC. Clemson is 14-5. That is two-plus seasons worth of games, and Clemson’s record averages out to about a six win conference record. Against the best teams in the SEC.

Alabama. Auburn. Georgia. LSU. Something called South Carolina. Texas A&M. All have fallen to the Tigers in the past seven seasons.

If we narrow the window even further, to games since Deshaun Watson took control in 2015, it’s even better for the Tigers. They are 10-2 against the SEC, with both losses coming against Alabama.

Are they beating up on the Vanderbilts and the Tennessees of the conference?

Nah. Nope. Uh-uh.

Clemson’s SEC opponents since 2015 average a 10-4 record, including 5-3 in conference. If you exclude South Carolina (again, what is that?) that average record jumps to 12-2 and seven wins in conference.

Close games are also the exception. The Tigers have outscored their SEC opponents 393 to 255 in the 12 games since 2015. That’s good for an average score of 33-21. The average score, including losses (!), is a 12 point margin of victory for Clemson.

How about Nick Saban? The greatest coach in college football (TM) has four losses in the past four seasons. Two of them are to Clemson. To quote Killmonger, “Is this your king?”

Since Clemson is clearly as good as or superior to its SEC competition — let’s call Alabama a draw, even though the point differential is a shade of orange — maybe it’s time to ask whether or not Alabama and Georgia would be able to survive the rigors of an ACC schedule. Early season, late season. Short rest, long rest. Home. Away. The Tigers lay the wood to the SEC.

If you’re a Texas A&M fan, you shouldn’t feel too bad about Saturday’s loss. You’re in good company.