The Clemson Insider has gone through and analyzed every team on Clemson’s 2016 regular season schedule to find the toughest matchups the Tigers will face. The result? A calculated ranking of every team Clemson plays from easiest to hardest.
Where a team ranks depends on a couple of main characteristics like last season’s outcome, prior meetings with Clemson, returning and departing talent, recruiting and changes within coaching staffs.
We begin our ranking with the No. 12 opponent: South Carolina State.
Last meeting: The last matchup between the two South Carolina teams occurred on Sept. 6, 2014, as the home opener in Death Valley. The Tigers won 73-7 while gaining 735 yards and holding S.C. State to just 44 yards. Deshaun Watson shined by completing eight of his nine passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns.
Last season: The Bulldogs went 7-4 in the 2015 season, going 6-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Coaching Staff: S.C. State will return head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough for his 15th season coaching the Bulldogs. The only major change to the coaching staff is the addition of Kirk Botkin as the new defensive coordinator. Botkin used to help coach linebackers as an assistant at the University of South Carolina.
Returning: The Bulldogs return two quarterbacks with plenty of experience. Caleb York completed 142-of-254 passes for 1,723 yards and 11 touchdowns in his freshman campaign while Adrian Kollock, Jr. completed 58-of-107 passes for 538 yards and three scores.
Additions: Plenty of new talent fills this season’s roster as 29 newcomers signed in 2016. Among that group is offensive lineman Demarcus Gilmore, who played in the 2015 Shrine Bowl.
Subtractions: The Bulldogs lose their top rusher and All-MEAC running back Jalen Simmons, who rushed for 718 yards on 143 carries last season. S.C. State also lost its top two receivers in Taquan West and tight end Temarrick Hemingway. Even more talent is lost on the defensive side of the ball with the departure of All-American defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and defensive back Chris Pauling, who led the team with three interceptions last season.
Why this game ranks where it does: Clemson has a better team and a better offense than it did in 2014 when the Tigers won with a 66-point margin. 467 of Clemson’s 735 yards were through the air, and the receiving corps will be even stronger this season. The Bulldogs were only able to avoid a shutout by returning a fumble in the last four minutes of the game.