Boy Bowden's Bouncing Ball

Tommy Bowden arrived at Clemson after the 1998 season in which he led Tulane to an undefeated record and national ranking.

His arrival at Death Valley was comparable to the Messiah arriving as Clemson fans were delirious with joy and anticipation of a return to the glory days of Danny Ford.

Unfortunately for Clemson fans, Bowden, and many gamblers that reached out and “bet the come,” Clemson has not reached the heights that Bowden was expected to lead them to and, in fact, about the only person who looks better in this whole ordeal is Bowden’s predecessor, Tommy West, who has gone on to lead Memphis to levels that they have never reached before.

Under Bowden, Clemson has rivaled Georgia Tech as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most inconsistent and unreliable team. Shrewd gamblers have recognized for years that the landscape has changed dramatically since Ford led Clemson to their glory years of the 1980’s, which included a national championship.

Clemson used to be able to dominate a basketball oriented ACC but the league has since become a football super conference with the additions of Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. Yet many Clemson fans and college football gambling participants believe that the Tigers are still a power team.

Entering the 2005 season, Clemson had posted just two winning seasons against the college football gambling odds from 1998-2004 and had an overall record of 36-42-2 against the spread during that span.

Even in 2000, a season in which they went 9-3 straight up, they were just 3-8 against the spread. Clemson finished 2004 with a mark of 6-5 straight up and 4-7 against the spread and Bowden was almost lynched. 2005 would prove to be a make or break season for his program.

Clemson began 2005 impressively with back-to-back wins both SU&ATS over Texas A&M and Maryland. Just when good will was built they lost their next three consecutive games SU, however, and Bowden was as good as fired.

Incredibly enough, as he has done so many times in the past, Bowden saved his job by going 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS down the stretch, which was climaxed by a 35-14 win over his dad’s Florida State team as 1-point home pups. Clemson has continued to prove a college football gambling education in the folly of trying to handicap the erratic!