Lord, Clemson has a lot of talent.
That’s where this has to start. South Carolina is facing a team Saturday with nine five-stars and 37 four-stars. That means a lot of leeway when it comes to busts, and the ability to overwhelm with talent.
That’s where the prediction starts, but it’s worth digging back to check how things got that way.
Clemson had long been a good recruiting program, getting five-stars every year or two. But in many ways, Sammy Watkins helped change it. He was part of a class with three five-stars (and a fourth player rated that way by one service), and he came into college football a fully former superstar.