Clemson could end up in SEC?

How would Clemson University’s football fortunes change if it were a member of the Southeastern rather than the Atlantic Coast Conference? Would it upset the balance in the state rivalry with South Carolina, whose fans say their team plays in the more difficult conference and that those battle wounds take a toll when it comes time for the in-state game? This is getting a little ahead of the game, granted, but it isn’t too far-fetched to see the possibility that schools like Clemson, Miami or Florida State may be invited into the SEC if that conference has to re-stock itself following expansion of the Pacific-10 and Big Ten conferences now being discussed. – Times and Democrat

Charlie Harbison turns down Florida, will stay at Clemson

UPDATE: Football Rumor Mill can confirm that Charlie Harbison has removed his name from consideration and is no longer a candidate for the DC job at Florida.

So much for Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney easing back into work following vacation. A day after arriving back from skiing in Colorado, Swinney met with defensive backs coach Charlie Harbison on Wednesday. Harbison has been contacted by Florida, which is interested in him as a candidate to fill its vacant defensive coordinator position. – Charleston Post and Courier

Big Weekend Ahead for Dabo Swinney, James Franklin

It’s a very, very big weekend for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, whose Tigers can clinch the ACC’s Atlantic Division with a victory over Virginia. Swinney’s in his first full year, and he signed an incentive-laden deal upon his full-time hire last December. But as Paul Strelow of The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., points out, simply winning the division would more than double his annual compensation from $800,000 to roughly $1.75 million. If the Tigers with the ACC title, Strelow writes “the sum will push above $2 million.” So why bring it up here? Because one of the trickle-down winners of Swinney’s success is one James Franklin. Everyone knows about the $1 million the Maryland coach-in-waiting is guaranteed if he doesn’t get the full-time job after the 2011 season. But how about if he does get the job?… In any case, just focusing on Swinney’s deal and assuming the numbers are dead on, the Clemson coach will get $950,000 more annually if the Tigers win this weekend. And since Clemson presumably accounts for 1/11th of the average of the ACC coaches (the contract language isn’t clear, but Ralph Friedgen’s salary will probably have nothing to do with Franklin’s as a head coach), then the annual value of Franklin’s deal will go up $1 for every $11 extra dollars any other coach in the ACC makes. Which means the annual value of the contract Maryland is obligated to eventually offer Franklin if it doesn’t want to cut a $1 million check to send him on his merry way will go by up by roughly $86,000 if Clemson beats Virginia on Saturday. Over five years, that’s approximately $430,000. – Washington Times

Dabo Swinney’s cash grab

OK, now we know why Dabo Swinney is one excited coach these days. His hot team is on the verge of playing in its first ACC championship game. And then there’s this: If the Tigers win the ACC, his salary jumps from $800,000 a year to $2 million a year. The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., reported the specifics of Swinney’s performance-laden contract: • If Clemson wins the Atlantic Division—something the Tigers never did under former coach Tommy Bowden—Swinney’s guaranteed compensation increases from $800,000 to the median of all ACC coaches. That number is $1.7 million. If the Tigers win the ACC, his salary increases to the average of the top seven coaches in the ACC—or $2 million. Swinney currently is the ACC’s lowest-paid coach, and if the Tigers win the ACC, he will join Bobby Bowden ($2.5 million), Paul Johnson ($2.3 million), Frank Beamer ($2.1 million) and Butch Davis ($2 million) in the $2 million-a-year club. This, of course, is assuming Clemson continues to buck a recent history of underachieving. If so, the administration’s hire of a relative unknown assistant coach—who had never been a coordinator—looks brilliant. – Sporting News

Tommy Bowden Wants Back Into Coaching

The former Clemson coach wants back in the business. He is living in Panama City Beach, Fla., but he’s staying busy with various speaking engagements. “If the right situation comes up, I would be interested,” he said. “I will wait and see what opportunities come open. I had a chance to talk to a couple of schools after last season, one below I-A and the other in the Northeast. But I just decided to sit out this year.” Tommy Bowden, 55, coached Clemson from 1999-2008, compiling a 72-45 record (43-32 in the ACC). He led the Tigers to eight bowls but never was able to lead the program to an ACC title. – Yahoo!

Urban Meyer Supports Bobby Bowden

How do I know the end is near for Bobby Bowden?   Because on Monday University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer came out in support of the iconic Florida State coach.  Rule of thumb: When the coach of your biggest rival likes you and wants you to stay, it usually means it’s time to go.   ”I have great respect for coach Bowden, and we’ve become pretty good friends,” Meyer said Monday as pressure mounted for Bowden to step down at the end of this season. “It’s the nature of the beast. It’s not the positive part of this coaching profession. There are so many positives, and that’s the back end of the negative. I just have a lot of respect for him.” – Orlando Sentinel

Tommy Bowden on Bobby Bowden

So when Jim Smith, chairman of Florida State’s board of trustees, publicly stated recently he believes it’s time for the Bobby Bowden era to end at FSU in favor of Jimbo Fisher, it didn’t shake the foundation of the Bowden family. “It’s a big boys game,” said Tommy Bowden, one of Bobby’s coaching sons, prior to serving as guest speaker at Monday night’s CellularSouth 1st and 10 Club meeting at Heron Lakes Country Club. “Terry (North Alabama head coach), myself and my father always understood that. If you can’t handle criticism, then you don’t need to get into (coaching).” As for Smith’s statements, Bowden — who was fired in the middle of last season at Clemson — said there’s no one better prepared to handle such a situation than his father. “At 80,” Bowden said of his father, “you don’t feel much pressure. Maybe his bladder,” he joked. – Mobile Press-Register

Dabo Swinney the Wrong Hire at Clemson?

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Last fall, Clemson had a chance to completely remake its program following Tommy Bowden’s departure. Starting in mid-October, athletic director Terry Don Phillips traveled the nation, talking with seasoned coordinators and sitting head coaches in search for Bowden’s optimal replacement. In the end, he settled on a choice he had available all along — interim coach Dabo Swinney — who had never been a head coach, much less a coordinator. Five games into Swinney’s first season, that decision threatens to turn the Tigers’ 2009 campaign into a learning experience, but not a winning one. Following Saturday’s disastrous 24-21 loss at Maryland, Clemson is 2-3, 1-2 in the ACC, heading into this week’s much-needed open date. And unless an anemic offense improves soon, even six wins and an Emerald Bowl trip might be a stretch. It’s time to admit the truth: like it or not, Swinney and much of his offensive staff are learning on the job, and that’s no way to win college football games. Right now, the Tigers have a rookie head coach, a 30-year-old, first-time offensive coordinator (Billy Napier) and a rookie quarterback (redshirt freshman Kyle Parker). Their offense has scored two offensive touchdowns in its last 13 quarters. – Independent Mail

Ralph Friedgen’s Maryland job safe - for now

The Terrapins are stumbling as they prepare for the annual meeting with Clemson on Saturday. But Maryland indicates there is no thought to replacing coach Ralph Friedgen during the season. Maryland plans to assess Friedgen’s performance - as it does all its coaches - when the season is over and a thorough examination of the program can be made. – Baltimore Sun

Al Groh on Way Out at Virginia?

Virginia coach Al Groh’s seat went from lukewarm to hot in one half. There were plenty of reasons to doubt Virginia’s bowl eligibility this fall — the Cavaliers lost their top five pass catchers from a year ago, their leading rusher, three standout linebackers, and brought in a new offensive coordinator with a new offense. There were no excuses, though, to lose to William & Mary, 26-14. There are never any excuses for seven turnovers. It was the Tribe’s first win over an FBS opponent since 1998 and the first against an ACC opponent since it beat — go figure, Virginia — in 1986. This loss will linger over the conference like Clemson’s did last year, but this one is even more embarrassing. – ESPN.com

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