CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2008 Clemson

7–⁠6 (4–⁠4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Tommy Bowden, then Dabo Swinney (interim, final 7 games).

Schedule and results

Clemson in 2008, game by game: lost vs. No. 24 Alabama 10–34; won vs. The Citadel 45–17; won vs. NC State 27–9; won vs. South Carolina State 54–0; lost vs. Maryland 17–20; lost at No. 21 Wake Forest 7–12; lost vs. Georgia Tech 17–21; won at Boston College 27–21; lost at No. 24 Florida State 27–41; won vs. Duke 31–7; won at Virginia 13–3; won vs. South Carolina 31–14; lost vs. Nebraska 21–26+54−24Lost 10–34 vs. No. 24 Alabama-24No. 24 AlabamaWon 45–17 vs. The Citadel+28The CitadelWon 27–9 vs. NC State+18NC StateWon 54–0 vs. South Carolina State+54South Carolina …Lost 17–20 vs. Maryland-3MarylandLost 7–12 at No. 21 Wake Forest-5No. 21 Wake ForestLost 17–21 vs. Georgia Tech-4Georgia TechWon 27–21 at Boston College+6Boston CollegeLost 27–41 at No. 24 Florida State-14No. 24 Florida StateWon 31–7 vs. Duke+24DukeWon 13–3 at Virginia+10VirginiaWon 31–14 vs. South Carolina+17South CarolinaLost 21–26 vs. Nebraska-5Nebraska
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vs24AlabamaL 10–⁠3461%
Sep 6vsThe CitadelW 45–⁠1781%
Sep 13vsNC StateW 27–⁠973%
Sep 20vsSouth Carolina StateW 54–⁠079%
Sep 27vsMarylandL 17–⁠2064%
Oct 9at21Wake ForestL 7–⁠1238%
Oct 18vsGeorgia TechL 17–⁠2154%
Nov 1atBoston CollegeW 27–⁠2132%
Nov 8at24Florida StateL 27–⁠4139%
Nov 15vsDukeW 31–⁠779%
Nov 22atVirginiaW 13–⁠347%
Nov 29vsSouth CarolinaW 31–⁠1458%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvsNebraskaGator BowlL 21–⁠2653%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Nebraska 26–⁠21 in the Gator Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 44th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 125 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 9
  2. Wk 4: 23
  3. Wk 5: 20
Record
7–⁠6
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 5th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked peak No. 9
Points
327–⁠225
Coach
Tommy Bowden, then Dabo Swinney (interim, final 7 games)
Elo
1602 +1 this season
SP+ rating
12.8 No. 26 of 120; offense No. 57, defense No. 12, special teams No. 56
SRS
9.1 No. 25 of 120 in FBS
Recruiting class
No. 9
Offensive coordinators
Rob Spence, Billy Napier and Dabo Swinney
Defensive coordinator
Vic Koenning
Captains
James Davis, Tyler Grisham, Michael Hamlin, Cullen Harper and Joe McKissic
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense99th of 120
  • Defense14th of 120
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted98th of 120
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted14th of 120
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense-0.0334%0.9699th of 120
Defense-0.0437%0.8714th of 120
Opponent-adjusted0.00 off
-0.01 def		36% off
37% def		—98th off
14th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense-0.1own 342% allowed
Defense0.0own 333% caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2008 class

Da’Quan Bowers SDE★★★★★No. 1
Jamie Harper RB★★★★No. 41
Brandon Thompson DT★★★★No. 61
Antoine McClain OT★★★★No. 82
Spencer Adams S★★★★No. 109
Andre Ellington APB★★★★No. 110
Dwayne Allen TE★★★★No. 126
Xavier Brewer CB★★★★No. 146

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2008 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks23.50.889
Running backs24.00.963
Receivers33.70.905
Offensive line43.80.911
Defensive line24.50.986
Linebackers12.00.778
Defensive backs33.70.919
Athletes and specialists33.00.837
Whole class203.60.904

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2009

The 2009 draft
Rd 4Dorell Scott DTSt. Louis Rams
Rd 5Chris Clemons SMiami Dolphins
Rd 5Michael Hamlin SDallas Cowboys
Rd 6James Davis RBCleveland Browns

2008 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Virginia Tech5–⁠310–⁠415
Georgia Tech5–⁠39–⁠422
Florida State5–⁠39–⁠421
Boston College5–⁠39–⁠5
Maryland4–⁠48–⁠5
North Carolina4–⁠48–⁠5
Wake Forest4–⁠48–⁠5
Miami4–⁠47–⁠6
Clemson4–⁠47–⁠6
NC State4–⁠46–⁠7
Virginia3–⁠55–⁠7
Duke1–⁠74–⁠8

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.