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Dabo Swinney UNLEASHES FIRESTORM on LSU & Lane Kiffin | Clemson Football · ACC Football Addiction (Atlantic Coast Conference)

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  Speaker 1: What's up, Tigers?
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us today on ACC Football Addiction.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: We are presented by PrizePix. We're all new users who
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  Speaker 2: win a $ 5 lineup. Their first $ 5 lineup using code HMA.
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  Speaker 2: Get 150 in lineups instantly. If you thought the offseason
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: was going to quietly wind down into game week, then
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  Speaker 2: Clemson Tigers football has proven you completely wrong. Between critical
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  Speaker 2: lineup decisions finally coming into focus and unexpected tensions brewing
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  Speaker 2: across the sport, there is suddenly a massive amount of
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  Speaker 2: drama that survives the biggest opener in week one. On
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  Speaker 2: top of that, the national conversation around this matchup has
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  Speaker 2: taken a fascinating turn over the last few days. There
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  Speaker 2: are plenty of outsiders that are already writing the script
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  Speaker 2: for how this game is going to go, but the
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  Speaker 2: reality on the ground feels a lot more volatile than
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  Speaker 2: the consensus may suggest. The stakes for this are through
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  Speaker 2: the roof. The pressure on both sides is undeniable for
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  Speaker 2: different reasons, and the tone of the entire season could
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  Speaker 2: be set right out of the gate. I don't know
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  Speaker 2: about you guys, but it is Wednesday, and I am
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  Speaker 2: ready to get to tomorrow so we get some football back,
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  Speaker 2: and then I'm really ready to get to Saturday to
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  Speaker 2: see how this one shakes out.
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  Speaker 1: Got a lot that I want to talk about, so
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  Speaker 1: let's jump right into it.
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  Speaker 2: Dabo Sweeney walked into his Tuesday press conference and settled
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  Speaker 2: the biggest question of Clemson's entire offseason with one single sentence.
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  Speaker 2: Christopher Vazina will take the first snap of the post-Cade
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  Speaker 2: Klubnick era. CV will start for us this week, Coach
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  Speaker 2: Sweeney stated. He said he's earned that. Then he explained
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  Speaker 2: just how close the quarterback battle actually was. He said
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  Speaker 2: it's been a competition and CV's just a little bit ahead.
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  Speaker 2: He's not a mile ahead, but he is ahead, and
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  Speaker 2: practice matters, Coach Sweeney stated. Vazina stands at 6'4, weighs 210,
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  Speaker 2: and has been in the program long enough to watch
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  Speaker 2: the entire quarterback room change around him. He held off
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  Speaker 2: true freshman Tate Reynolds, though Sweeney openly admitted that Reynolds
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  Speaker 2: made a late surge after spring practice.
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  Speaker 1: I think that word surge tells the whole story.
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  Speaker 2: Here, because the starting job Vazina just won comes with
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  Speaker 2: one of the shortest leashes, I would imagine, in college football.
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  Speaker 2: Sweeney made it pretty clear that he was naming a
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  Speaker 2: starter for this week only, even joking that he was
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  Speaker 2: not handing out a lifetime contract.
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  Speaker 1: When asked what Vazina needs.
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  Speaker 2: To do to secure the job for the long haul,
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  Speaker 2: Sweeney did not soften his response. He said, you go
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  Speaker 2: win some games and go play well. This isn't complicated.
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  Speaker 2: I appreciate how much Dabo does not ever shy away
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  Speaker 2: from just telling you how he feels.
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  Speaker 1: And here's why that answer matters a lot. Saturday night will.
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  Speaker 2: Mark just the second career start of Vazina's life. He
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  Speaker 2: appeared in five games last season. He completed 45 of
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  Speaker 2: 71 passes, had a little over 400 yards, had four
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  Speaker 2: TDs and one pick. His only previous collegiate start was
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  Speaker 2: a 34-25 loss to SMU, and that game tape pulls
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  Speaker 2: in two completely different directions. On one hand, he went
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  Speaker 2: 29 for 42 for 317 yards with three touchdowns and
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  Speaker 2: zero picks, which is a legitimate starting quarterback stat line.
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  Speaker 2: On the other hand, he put two fumbles on the ground,
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  Speaker 2: and both of them proved pretty costly. His greatest strengths
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  Speaker 2: and his biggest flaws showed up in the exact same game,
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  Speaker 2: and now he is being thrown straight into the deep end.
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  Speaker 2: His first career road start comes at LSU this Saturday
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  Speaker 2: at 7.30 p.m.
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  Speaker 1: Eastern on ABC.
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  Speaker 2: It takes place right inside one of the loudest environments
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  Speaker 2: in college football and really any football.
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  Speaker 1: Sweeney essentially called the crowd noise the ultimate test.
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  Speaker 2: He conceded that Mazina's job security beyond week one depends
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  Speaker 2: pretty heavily on how he handles Tiger Stadium at night.
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  Speaker 1: For Clemson fans, every layer of this moment is emotional.
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  Speaker 2: You have a loyal four-year developmental quarterback finally getting his shot.
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  Speaker 2: You have a highly touted freshman waiting in the wings.
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  Speaker 2: You have a head coach openly reminding everyone that this
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  Speaker 2: competition is far from over. Whether Vazina steadies this offense
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  Speaker 2: or opens the door for Reynolds could define Clemson's entire
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  Speaker 2: season before the end of September. However, if you watched
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  Speaker 2: that press conference, you probably noticed something strange. Sweeney did
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  Speaker 2: not spend the majority of his time talking about his quarterbacks. Instead,
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  Speaker 2: He spent some time listing NFL franchises. He mentioned the Browns.
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  Speaker 2: He mentioned the Cowboys, the Saints, the Buccaneers. I live
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  Speaker 2: in Tampa here, so enjoyed that. And that doesn't often
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  Speaker 2: make sense for a college football coach that's preparing for
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  Speaker 2: week one until you look at who Clemson is about
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  Speaker 2: to play and what LSU has been doing to its roster.
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  Speaker 2: We'll talk about that in just a moment, but just
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  Speaker 2: very quickly, I want to give some love to our
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  Speaker 2: friends over at Alumni Hall. Told you all offseason, hopefully
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  Speaker 2: you have your gear. If you're in Clemson or if
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  Speaker 2: you're anywhere close, make sure that you are ordering from
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  Speaker 2: Alumni Hall or you can order online. Use our code CFA15.
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  Speaker 2: You'll save 15% on your order. We appreciate Alumni Hall
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  Speaker 2: for their support. Sweeney essentially turned his game week press
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  Speaker 2: conference into the state of the sport address and his
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  Speaker 2: target was not subtle. You guys have heard the comment,
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  Speaker 2: but nothing made me chuckle louder this week than when
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  Speaker 2: he just said, we just try to stay in our lane.
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  Speaker 1: At Clemson. And he did say no pun intended.
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  Speaker 2: And I honestly would tell you that I think he realized.
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  Speaker 1: What he was about to say.
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  Speaker 2: And right before he said it, that's where he tried
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  Speaker 2: to give the precursor, the disqualifier, whatever you want to
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  Speaker 2: say there. But you can't help but enjoy Dabo Sweeney
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  Speaker 2: taking a shot at what's going on.
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  Speaker 1: In Baton Rouge.
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  Speaker 2: He said every now and then somebody will try to
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  Speaker 2: ram into us and we just try and kind of
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  Speaker 2: handle our business here. The context behind his statement is wild.
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  Speaker 2: LSU has been adding players who spent the preseason on
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  Speaker 2: NFL rosters before seeking another year of college eligibility, all
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  Speaker 2: in the middle of an ongoing legal battle. That group
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  Speaker 2: includes former Ole Miss tight end Daquan Wright, who spent
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  Speaker 2: time with the Eagles and Browns this summer, along with
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  Speaker 2: pursuit of NFL defensive lineman Zavian Harris. As a result,
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  Speaker 2: Sweeney's game preparation genuinely crossed over into the pro ranks.
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  Speaker 2: He said, I've been spending this last week or so
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  Speaker 2: studying the Browns and the Cowboys and the Saints and
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  Speaker 2: the Bucks, you know, trying to get ready.
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  Speaker 1: On top of that, his staff has had to dig.
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  Speaker 2: Through film from various programs just to scout LSU's transfer-built roster.
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  Speaker 2: Sweeney even poked a little fun at the entire conversation
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  Speaker 2: and situation with a story about attending a Browns practice
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  Speaker 2: back in June. I busted out laughing at this. He said,
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  Speaker 2: I'm probably going to get turned in for tampering. I
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  Speaker 2: wish I'd have known because I've paid a little more
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  Speaker 2: attention while I was there. When reporters asked if any
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  Speaker 2: of this frustrated them, he claimed it did not, but
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  Speaker 2: then he immediately unloaded on the system instead. He said,
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  Speaker 2: it's kind of embarrassing that that's where we are. We
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  Speaker 2: have no rules. There's no governance, and it's a joke.
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  Speaker 2: He said, there's zero rules, and when you enforce rules,
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  Speaker 2: somebody just goes and finds a judge to say, no,
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  Speaker 2: you can't enforce that. Lane Kiffin fired right back, though,
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  Speaker 2: and he didn't apologize for anything. He stated that his
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  Speaker 2: decisions are made in the best interest of the players
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  Speaker 2: that sit in the team rules.
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  Speaker 1: Room and not for his reputation.
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  Speaker 2: He added that he polled LSU's player leadership committee and
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  Speaker 2: got an immediate green light.
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  Speaker 1: He said they can help us win, bring them. The
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  Speaker 1: surrounding backdrop is completely chaotic.
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  Speaker 2: On August 25th, the SEC updated a policy barring athletes
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  Speaker 2: to sign pro contracts from returning to college competition. A
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  Speaker 2: Louisiana judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of that rule. Another
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  Speaker 2: crucial hearing is scheduled for tomorrow in Baton Rouge. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 2: Yahoo Sports reported that SEC officials have privately discussed boycotts, probation,
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  Speaker 2: or even expulsion for LSU.
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  Speaker 1: Wright is not expected to play.
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  Speaker 2: On Saturday due to acclimating to the NCAA requirements, but
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  Speaker 2: the storyline has already given this opener a villain versus
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  Speaker 2: old-school edge that Clemson fans, I think, will happily embrace.
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  Speaker 2: It's crazy and it's hard, Dabo said. Openers are hard,
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  Speaker 2: and here is the problem with all of that off-field noise, though.
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  Speaker 2: None of it will move a single point on the
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  Speaker 2: betting board. Vegas installed LSU as roughly a 10.5-point favorite,
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  Speaker 2: and that line hasn't really moved much. The Tigers sit
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  Speaker 2: at No. 11, heading into Kiffin's Tiger Stadium debut. That
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  Speaker 2: number indicates that LSU should pull away comfortably. Yet a
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  Speaker 2: prominent national analyst is telling anyone who will listen that
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  Speaker 2: this spread is a trap. ESPN's Greg McIlroy is not
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  Speaker 2: outright picking the upset, but he is waving a warning
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  Speaker 2: flag anyway. During an appearance on the Pat McAfee show,
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  Speaker 2: he laid out the case for Clemson in pretty plain language.
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  Speaker 2: He said there's no pressure on Clemson going into this
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  Speaker 2: game on Saturday. They still have the dudes, and I
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  Speaker 2: wouldn't be surprised if this is a game in the
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  Speaker 2: third quarter. He said, I think this is a very
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  Speaker 2: dangerous game for LSU. And his core argument was simple.
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  Speaker 2: Clemson still possesses NFL-caliber talent across this roster, despite a
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  Speaker 2: rocky stretch of season last year, while a first-year head
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  Speaker 2: coaching staff with a heavily reworked roster is certainly at
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  Speaker 2: its most vulnerable in their opener. The freedom of low
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  Speaker 2: expectations works strongly in Clemson's favor. Clemson gets to play
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  Speaker 2: loose with a first-time road starter at quarterback, while LSU
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  Speaker 2: shoulders the immense weight of being a top-11-ranked team and
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  Speaker 2: a crowd at home that will demand perfection. Recent history
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  Speaker 2: supports this dynamic as well. LSU earned a 17-10 victory
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  Speaker 2: in Death Valley last season, holding Clemson scoreless in the
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  Speaker 2: second half after trailing 10-3 at halftime. McElroy himself called
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  Speaker 2: that second-half performance a championship-winning recipe for LSU. Clemson fans
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  Speaker 2: view that exact same box score differently. The offense was
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  Speaker 2: just one drive away from stealing that game, and the
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  Speaker 2: defense kept it a one-score contest deep into the fourth quarter.
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  Speaker 2: McElroy has long respected Clemson's defensive line as the great
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  Speaker 2: equalizer in this matchup, and his projection of a tight
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  Speaker 2: game in the second.
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  Speaker 1: Half serves as a very clear blueprint. Win the line
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  Speaker 1: of scrimmage in the trenches.
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  Speaker 2: Avoid the costly turnovers that haunted Vazina against SMU. Let
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  Speaker 2: the Baton Rouge crowd grow restless. For bettors and believers alike,
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  Speaker 2: the message lands loud and clear. LSU may be favored,
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  Speaker 2: but McElroy expects Clemson to make this ugly. Now, three
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  Speaker 2: distinct questions converge onto the exact same 60 minutes. Vazina
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  Speaker 2: enters the season holding the starting quarterback job. LSU's eligibility
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  Speaker 2: battle goes in front of a judge on Thursday in
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  Speaker 2: Baton Rouge, and the point spread insists that None of
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  Speaker 2: this drama will matter. This Saturday at 7.30 Eastern on ABC,
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  Speaker 2: the opening snap will settle which storyline survives and which
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  Speaker 2: one becomes the defining story of Clemson's September. I cannot
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  Speaker 2: wait until kickoff. Hopefully, you'll be tuned into our coverage
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: here on ACC Football Addiction as we continue to preview it.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: Hopefully you're checking out our friends over at PrizePix. We're
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  Speaker 2: you guys next time on ACC Football Addiction.