FanHouse Dabo Swinney

It seems as if C.J. Spiller's career has been punctuated by big decisions and big plays.

Spiller selected the Clemson Tigers over childhood favorite Florida State and others out of Lake Butler (Fla.) Union County. A frustrating freshman season nearly prompted him to transfer to Florida. Spiller could have entered the NFL Draft last year as a possible first-round selection. Known as a quiet leader, Spiller promised to speak up this season.

Check, check and check -- Spiller has made all the right moves.

"It has gone by so fast," Spiller told FanHouse Tuesday morning. "It seems like I just got here, and now ... these last five [regular-season] games I am going to enjoy the best way I can with my teammates. Coming back was the best decision I've made in my life. You don't have a better experience than your college one."

Take a wild guess. What has been the most competitive football series in the ACC over the last, say, 13 years? Florida State-Georgia Tech? North Carolina-North Carolina State? Duke-Wake Forest?

Time's up.

If recent history repeats itself, Thursday night's nationally televised showdown between Clemson-Georgia Tech in Atlanta should be worth the price of admission. And be prepared to get caught in traffic because the outcome probably won't be settled until late in the game.

Kyle Parker's childhood sports heroes were Chipper Jones in baseball and Brett Favre in football. Even when pushed, there was no way, no sir, Parker could select a favorite between the talented pair.

Picking between the two sports at the collegiate level has been as difficult for Parker, a starter in right field on the Clemson baseball team and a possible starter at quarterback on the Tigers football team.

There is, apparently, no recession in college football. Or, if there is, it has bypassed the South Carolina uplands. Now that Dabo Swinney (right) has had his training wheels taken off, it's time for the rest of the staff to get paid accordingly. And oh boy, are they going to. Clemson will pony up $1.8 million for Dabo Swinney's staff next season.

That's staggering, even if the ACC still trails the SEC in the coaching staff arms race. Last season, only 25 of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams paid their head coaches $1.8 million or more. Thus, as ridiculous as head coach salaries have become, the staff adds the equivalent of yet another head coach to the overall operating expenses.

You can complain all you want, but (a) it won't do you any good, and (b) there's a very good reason why these schools will pay a staff so much.

FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

Onyx? Anthracite? Obsidian? Nothingness? Whatever they come up with, Nebraska needs to find a color beyond black and give its defense shirts in that color. After spotting Clemson an 11-point lead, Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers got huge help from their defense in the second half while the offense almost came to life.

Joe Ganz hit on two touchdowns early in the third quarter to pull within four points, but the Huskers couldn't find the end zone again. It didn't matter. The Nebraska defense had things so clogged up in the second half they could have been sponsored by Imodium. Dabo Swinney's crew couldn't even get into field goal range until it was too late to do them any good.

A lot of Blackshirts contributed to the win, but two in particular stood out. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh's name came up about every other play, with the other half of the plays being made by his linemate Ty Steinkuhler. The real game-ending play, however, came from sophomore cornerback Eric Hagg, who dropped Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper for a 16-yard loss on 2nd and goal with about two minutes left. Wayne Larrivee didn't broadcast this game, but he would've told you that was the dagger.

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Florida), which pits Clemson against Nebraska.

Overview/Matchup: Clemson and Nebraska both come into this bowl at interesting points of their respective would-be dynasties. Obviously, Nebraska's tradition is nearly untouchable, but Bo Pelini is looking to pick up his first bowl win as head coach there. And to juice up the storyline a little bit more, Dabo Swinney, who took over the team after Tommy Bowden "resigned" midway through the season, is also looking for his first. The Tigers have a ton of momentum, beating arch-rival South Carolina to close the season, but Nebraska, winners of four straight to end the year, are coming on strong as well.

Hotels: Between its prime location (walking distance of the Jacksonville Landing shopping center, Center for the Performing Arts and the sports complex), luxurious accommodations, on-site dining and excellent service, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront is easily the finest hotel in Jacksonville. On the opposite bank of the St. John's River, the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville has good proximity to the stadium, balconied guest rooms and reasonable prices. Just blocks from the Crowne Plaza, the Hampton Inn Jacksonville I-95 Central offers the same great location with rooms usually available for less than US$100 per night.