Vicious cycle
CLEMSON | Much of Clemson's May recruiting spree has been defined by big-stage implications.
When Barrett Carter chooses Clemson over home-state Georgia, it's a major victory for one playoff-caliber program over another.
When Will Shipley rebuffs Notre Dame's all-out recruiting efforts to go all-in with Clemson, it's a blow to the Irish's hopes of getting back to the CFP.
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But there are other programs out there that aren't aspiring to the playoff -- not realistically, at least -- and occasionally find themselves in the crosshairs of the Clemson colossus.
South Carolina and N.C. State are both coming off 4-8 seasons. Both have coaches who have never beaten Dabo Swinney -- Dave Doeren has lost seven straight, Will Muschamp four in a row.
Both coaches have directed plenty of bluster Clemson's way at times but now find themselves with little rational choice but to quietly submit.
Because the most recent results on the field indicate it's just not fair anymore. And the most recent results on the recruiting trail paint a picture of Swinney and Co. throwing both programs under the ROY Bus and then backing back over them.
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