Scott on Rankings: 'To Everybody's Disappointment, We Show up in December, and We're Where We Want to Be'
CLEMSON—While the fanbase is growing increasingly more and more frustrated with Clemson's slide in the polls, after they dropped from No. 1 to No. 4 in the AP Poll in the last three weeks, the Tiger coaching and players are having some fun with their current slide.
"We think it’s cute. We don’t worry about that. We think it’s cute," safety K'Von Wallace said. "We think it’s funny. One thing they can’t do, if we go undefeated they can’t leave us out of the playoffs. I know that. Whether we win by one each and every game, they can’t keep us out of the playoffs. We proved each year that we deserve it, even when we lost to Alabama my sophomore year. They can’t keep us out of there."
It is not only the players that are not worried about the polls, the coaching staff is having a lot of fun with their current fall from grace.
"To be honest, we have fun with it. We were joking on the bus, on the way back, I wonder how far we'll slide now," co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said. "I think somebody told me yesterday, we've won five games by 31 points, or more. I think you look at Bama's number one, they've won three. And two of them were verse group of five. All right. That's not really the rhetoric that we're seeing out there. So, I think it's just natural, when you've won as many games as we've won.
"I mean, I can remember, as a college football fan, that gets old at some point, whenever if somebody else's winning that much. And so, it's just natural. For us, really, we just kind of laugh about it, and joke around about it. Somebody was saying the other day, 'If we keep winning at this rate, we'll be out of the top 10 by December, you know?'"
While the Tigers may be in a joking mood surrounding their recent poll struggles, they are not worried about where they stand in October.
In fact, the Tigers are not concerned in the least little bit about their standings because they have seen that the process works, and all they have to do is win their games.
"And so, it's really something we just kind of laugh about a little bit," Scott said. "But truthfully, what we know is we've been here before, we trust our plan, we trust our preparation, and that if we just stay focused and locked in, keep two hands on the wheel, and focus on what matters—going 1-0, this week. Winning our division is our next goal. It's worked out for us every year that we've been able to stay focused on that. And so, we really have zero concern that it won't work out this year, if we stay focused. And it's hard enough, getting ready for one opponent every week."
If the Tigers remain focused on their opponent and take care of the game in front of them—with a windshield, next game is the biggest game of the year, mentality—they are confident, that much to the shock of the media, they will be right where they want at the end of the season—in the playoff.
"And if you're worried about playing that opponent, and four other opponents out there, you know you're not going to be your best," Scott said. "And so, I think that's one reason we've had the consistency that we've had over the last four years, is that other than maybe just seeing it, kind of laughing about things out there, our guys truly have stayed locked in and focused on doing our part.
"And then, to everybody's disappointment, we show up in December, and we're where we want to be. And that's just kind of what it kind of feels like. Probably going to happen this year, if we'll stay focused and take care of our business."
