Mr. College Football asks that question in his blog today. These types of games add interest for fans, and apparently coaches. Barnhart quotes Saban talking about the benefits of these early season contests; he also explains Vince Dooley’s philosophy on playing good teams early.

Vince Dooley once told me that the benefit to playing a good team early is that when the game is over, you don’t any illusions about your team. Three weeks later Alabama opens the SEC schedule at Arkansas. The Clemson game helps Alabama get ready for the trip to Fayetteville.

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18 thoughts on “Does Bama benefit playing Clemson?”

  1. If bama keeps the score close, then they can have another “moral victory”….I gusess there is some benifit to that…

  2. Indian,

    I guess that’s kind of like your “moral national championship” of 2004, right?

    Of course you’ve probably not been alive long enough to have savored a legitimate national championship. But even if you were alive in 57′ that wasn’t a legitimate one either because of probation. Maybe someday. Keep the faith.

  3. Educator 1 …..I dont claim a “moral” national championship there bub……That is a Bammer trait…Kinda like the one that yall claimed after the loss to Notre Dame. Oh,, my bad ….The proper word would be “fictional”….

  4. ballplay your only mistake was to even insinuate that bamma can keep the game close 3 touchdown lose!!! and ED all you guys have to do is beat POLYTECH this year bro and sorry to tell ya ..AINT GONNA HAPPEN MR ED!!

    WAR POLYTECH BABY!!!

  5. Omni loser. Give me 21 points and I’ll take that bet all day. Put your money where your mouth is.

    As for you injun joe, I’m sure none of the 12 that we claim (as opposed to 17 by NCAA records) are legitimate huh? Only in the eyes of a loser barner.

  6. I don’t know if they “benefit,” but UAT will be 0-1 after that game. Maybe that qualifies as a benefit for a losing program like UAT.

  7. We’ve already seen what scheduling ULM benefits. Keep the faith Kevin because your nasty little Awwbarn Plainsmen are gonna get a nasty taste when ULM shows Tony and Paul the door!!

  8. Shane is a booger-eater, that looks like the GA – Aub score last year, probably more of the same this year, let’s see that will make three in a row, right?

  9. More of like the score JOHN PARKER WILSON of all people is going to hang on that weak Paul Rhoads defense.

    Also joining this year’s 40+ club will be UT, Arkansas, LSU and introducing Louisiana-Monroe and West Virginia!

    And rejoining that club is Matthew Stafford and the UGA Bulldogs.

  10. “I don’t know if they “benefit,” but UAT will be 0-1 after that game. Maybe that qualifies as a benefit for a losing program like UAT.”

    I don’t know if API benefits by playing West Virginia, unless it’s a benefit by having Pat White teach Kodi Burns and Tony Franklin how to properly maneuver and operate a real spread offense. Will Tommy T and the API wannabes throw in the towel after they post a similar score as UGA has done the past two seasons? Or will he take that ass kicking like a true API soldier does? API fans can ride a bull longer than 8 seconds, but can they ride an ass kicking for longer than 1 quarter?

  11. Yall Bammers rightly dederve the delusional national championship….Amy, for goodnes sakes, I hope your kidding about LAMO….We wil absolutely crush them….At least 42-6…..NYC,,our defense will own bama, as usual….There has never been a spread in CFB with a defense like Auburns to compliment it…You shall soon see what we are capable of…Chris Todd and Cody Burns Are gonna light yall up like the fourth of July….

  12. Is it the same world famous spread like Mike Leache’s that Alabama shut down in 2005? Franklin said it best, small athletes means more speed. That didn’t pan out very well with Mike Leache against an SEC team did it?

    Sing me the defensive blues. If your guys’ D will be so godlike this season with half of last year’s squad (a very talented half at that), leaving, then I guess the half that’s returning on our squad will shut out every opponent, even Kodi who could only muster up one touchdown, on his own, against NMSU.

  13. NYC…Again you halfway look at the facts…..Our spread will be in between West Virginias mostly run spread and Texas Techs mostly pass spread..Floridas comes to mind….Boy thier offense is lathargic isnt it ? If Florida had half a defense last year they wouldve won the SEC. As far as our losses on defense go…..Who did we lose that was so valuable? Groves? He will not be sorely missed at all…Defensive end is one of our deepest positions, as well as the defensive line….Our linebacking corp is deep as well…The secondary is the only short position for us , and its not lacking talent, just depth…

    By the way, that crappy Texas Tech team nearly beat the best Bama defense since 92…You and I both know that they cant hang with Auburn talent wise….If they wouldve had a defense ANYWHERE close to Auburns that year, they wouldve easily won that game…You remember what that Joe Gibbs defense did to Brody dont you?
    Remember Joe Gibbs, the crappy coach that was there before Muschamp…Yes , that Joe Gibbs….

  14. I just moved back to AL after nine years, is this Tony Franklin at AUB the same one that went 2 and 9 his first year as OC at Kentucky and the same Paul Rhoads that Pitt was trying to run out of town?

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