Week 7 Preview, Part I: Thursday Night Lights

Thursday night nuttiness ventures back to ACC-land for a prolonged stay, beginning with tonight's battle in Winston-Salem...

CLEMSON (3-2) at WAKE FOREST (3-1)
Thursday, 10/9/08, 7:30pm ET - BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC
Series Record: Clemson leads 56-16-1; the Tigers won last year's meeting 44-10
Storyline: Is Tommy Bowden coaching for his job tonight?
Here's the deal: Comparing match-ups between these two teams is pointless...Wake has won for 2 1/2 years despite being on the short-end of many a game analysis, while Clemson has lost far too many games under Tommy Bowden while having a decided advantage in personnel. Sure, the right play-calling or scheme may decide tonight's meeting, but more likely it's simple mental attitude that will be the difference between winner and loser. And you can bet your ass that the Demon Deacons will be laser-focused on the task at hand tonight, coming off their first big "wtf?" loss since they rose to ACC prominence in 2006. The Tigers are coming off an upset loss at home to recently dismembered Maryland, which is nothing new - ranked Clemson teams have lost seven times to unranked foes in Death Valley under Bowden. But the reaction to the Terp loss is different this time; whether it's an overcompensation for the preseason hype or simply a straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back situation, Bowden is on the thinnest ice of his 10 season Clemson career. The Tiger coach has come back from the brink many times before, but his nine lives are just about all used up.
Prediction: There's simply no reason to pick against the Deacons when Jim Grobe and staff have had ten days to prepare and have the added incentive of redeeming themselves for the Navy debacle....especially when the Tigers are reeling. Wake Forest 23, Clemson 20

Remaining game previews are a'comin tomorrow