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Syracuse's implosion at Maryland four days ago is being deemed a costly loss in more ways than one.
All offseason, the Orange-centric populace was imagining the possibilities of a Game 3 visit from Clemson and what it could mean.
Not necessarily the game itself, but the hours-long advertisement for Dino Babers' program if ESPN chose to make Syracuse the spot for its College GameDay program.
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So when Mike Locksley's Terps hung 63 on the Orange in a complete and total ambush, the loss of that center-stage opportunity was deemed a bad thing.
But is it really? With the Clemson monster coming to town favored by more than three touchdowns, is it more of a positive that there won't be maximum attention on what could very well turn ugly?
Are the benefits of a three-hour infomercial before the game offset by a three-hour humiliation during the game?
Do you really want ESPN's iconic show coming to your cit-ay given Clemson's habit of burning cit-ays to the ground?
Dating to November of 2014, Clemson has won 58 of its last 60 games against teams not named Alabama. In the ACC, Clemson has won 35 of its past 37 games. The list of ridiculous stats is so long that you almost forget that, oh by the way, Clemson is going for its 18th consecutive overall win Saturday.
As we have documented, the ACC has a problem on its hands as it searches for someone to join Clemson as a national contender.
Heck, maybe "join Clemson" is not putting it precisely enough because that suggests someone elevating to the same level as Clemson and that's just not realistic.
At this point, the ACC needs someone to be in the Top 10 realm and even that is an extraordinarily tough sell with No. 25 Virginia the only other conference team in the AP Top 25.
What does it say that Syracuse, which just lost by 43, was viewed as the biggest threat to Clemson all offseason?
In one respect it makes sense because Syracuse is one of the two teams not named Alabama to have beaten Clemson since November 2014. The Orange also gave the Tigers ever-living hell in Death Valley last year before Chase Brice, Travis Etienne and the defense came to the rescue.
The problem for Syracuse and the rest of the ACC is that rosters change every year. Clemson continues to recruit like gangbusters, and just about everyone else continues to recruit like meh.
Over the last five recruiting classes, Syracuse has totaled zero 5-stars and just two 4-stars. Yes, evaluation and development count for something. No, recruiting rankings didn't matter much the last two years when Clemson felt fortunate to split with Babers' team.
But in the long game, vast disparities in talent are going to reveal themselves.
A year ago at this time, N.C. State was considered a worthy adversary to Clemson. The Wolfpack's trip to Death Valley packed plenty of intrigue in large part because the Tigers barely escaped the previous two meetings. Clemson put Dave Doeren's team in its place that day in a 41-7 whipping.
Two years ago at this time, Lamar Jackson and Louisville finally had the Tigers were they wanted them -- at home, at night, and without Deshaun Watson to deal with.
If Jackson and Louisville lost by just six the previous year in Death Valley, then shouldn't it follow that they would have a reasonable chance to knock off the Tigers in a transition year in 2017? If the meetings between these schools were extraordinarily close by definition in 2014, 2015 and 2016, then shouldn't the fourth provide suspense?
Through the course of all this winning, Dabo Swinney has done a remarkable job of making his team feel slighted. All last week, they were stewing over what happened last year in College Station.
For most of Clemson football history, a close win on the road against an SEC school would be treasured. During this era, it's sneered at because the Tigers didn't dominate them and crush their will. They were insulted by the gall of the Aggies in keeping that game close and having a chance in the end.
That's what happened two years ago at Louisville: While the outside world was preparing for yet another nail-biter, for perhaps the Cardinals and Jackson to finally have their moment, Clemson's players were preparing to leave no doubt.
Oh, by the way: ESPN's GameDay program was there that day. And it's doubtful many Louisville fans felt like they gained much in the end as Clemson chased all those blacked-out fans home at halftime.
Similar deal last year at Boston College, when the presence of GameDay felt forced. The Eagles gave Clemson trouble the year before, but there was seldom any doubt that night in Chestnut Hill.
Similar deal two years ago at Virginia Tech: Just because the 2016 ACC title game was close didn't mean that supposed showdown in Blacksburg was going to be.
When the Tigers travel to Columbia in November, they're going to be ticked that last year's game was so close. Yes, the team that beat its hated rival by three touchdowns is going to derive bountiful motivation from that game being too close.
The aforementioned victims might share some words of wisdom to Syracuse fans lamenting what they lost when ESPN decided to take its show somewhere else:
When Dabo's gang is coming to town, it's probably a good thing that Herbie and the gang are somewhere else.
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