ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

I admit it. I was wrong.

All summer, I was the staunch defender of the Tigers -- give them a chance. Let them work themselves out of the rankings and expectations.

On Saturday, they had their chance. And they blew it. In embarrassing fashion.

The main difference in this game? Nick Saban.

Saban had his young players ready for what should have been prime time entertainment. Clemson thought it was going to come in and play four quarters. Alabama was ready to win in one.

"The responsibility of getting the team prepared is mine," coach Tommy Bowden said, "and I didn't do that."

No kidding.

How do James Davis and C.J. Spiller touch the ball a combined eight times? Get your playmakers the ball. It's hard to judge the offensive line's performance when one of the best running back tandems in the country only gets eight carries. Don't tell me about four new starters on the offensive line -- I watched a USC team with the same scenario, and they had five different running backs score touchdowns against Virginia.

Bowden's answer as to why Spiller only carried the ball twice?

"We are a two back system," he said. "We didn't have the ball in the first half and in the second half. That's not a good combination for anybody."

The good news for Clemson is that the Tigers don't have to worry anymore about ridiculous expectations. Those now belong to Saban.