Predictions and Accountability

Predictions and any form of sports media seem to go together like Mangus and Main St. Everybody has an opinion and everybody likes to be right. I mean, there’s a reason the entire nation is consumed this time of year with filling out brackets in order to attain that exact privilege.

Over the years at STS, you’ve seen a multitude of prediction making by not only this site’s writers, but this site’s regular posters. The results of these predictions are always unverified and yet, always culminate with the inevitable “I told you back then" type post.

You’ve also seen writers or posters get called out for something that wasn’t exactly what they said.

So, I have an idea here and it is three-fold. 1. I want to give you the opportunity to go on record when you have an opinion 2. Find out which posters really know their stuff around here. and 3. Find out who really needs to be called out and who doesn’t.

Yes, I am aware that we at STS have “back patted” ourselves at times for our accurate opinions and that most of that has been unverified as well. By doing this, I’d like to raise STS and their posters level of credibility.

I believe this will work here because this isn’t Tigernet. Nobody is going to post, “Coot” when your prediction of, “We’ll go 7-5 next year” is brought up after we go 8-4. We can be civil and have a little friendly competition between us all if we all can accept that we are all sometimes wrong.

Over the years here, we’ve had all types of opinions and predictions.

We’ve had the good:

I think if Chad had left this year we would've gone out and hired somebody

if he left after next year, Dabo is more likely to promote Scott. I think Scott’s a spread guy, so he won’t have the issues Napier had, and he’ll have had 3 years of learning the Morris offense.

I’d want him to have 2 more years in the system before such a promotion, but I bet Dabo only thinks he needs one.

by PenthouseTiger on Dec 13, 2012 | 9:02 AM up rec flag actions

I think 9-3

We lose to UGA, FSU, and a random head scratcher (GT/UNC/Louisville).

We beat SC, but it doesn’t feel like a great win because we’re serving them their fifth loss (UGA, Tenn, Miss, Auburn, CLemson).

If we beat UGA, we could have a great season.

The way I look at it. We play three hard teams – UGA, FSU, SC (or if they suck someone that surprisingly doesn’t). We need to beat 2 out of 3 of those teams to consider our season great given the competition on our schedule. If we were playing stronger competition all around, I would not feel this way.

by Lawtonfunk on Aug 26, 2014 | 10:04 AM rec (1) flag actions

The Bad:

LSU is going to kick our ass and theNational belly laughing at our program will continue

by 5knklshfl on Dec 30, 2012 | 5:40 PM up rec (1) flag actions

And The Ugly:

I think a monkey is better than Venables

Shakinthesouthland.com-Clemson sports analysis

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by DrB on Jan 13, 2012 | 7:11 PM up rec flag actions

Nobody is right all the time. Everybody has an opinion and everybody has been wrong. Anybody that tells you different is full of it and lives in a fantasy world.

For example, I predicted Tyshon Dye would get a lot of carries vs. South Carolina based on the Georgia St. game performance and it didn’t happen. So for that, I give you the least used phrase in sports message board history, “I WAS WRONG.”

You see, anybody can throw out a worthless “I told you” on a message board and act like they’re some guru when there’s zero accountability. Is anybody really going to go back through thousands of posts to see exactly what “I told you” guy really posted? Of course, not.

That’s why you see 4000 “I told you” type posts and 2 “I was wrongs” a year on sports message boards.

And sometimes, even the “I told you so” is a back-patting mess full of improper credit taking and incorrect justification.

Hate to say I told you so but...

I told you so. I predicted a touchdown loss to the Cooters. The only thing I was wrong about was it was a touchdown and a field goal…I also put the loss on the defense but it turned out the loss was more on the offense. Our defense stinks no matter who we play, our offense stinks when we play good teams. Case in point? We will lose our bowl game because we have to play LSU or Georgia. 10-3…2 loss streak to end the season. Not a collapse…but definitely a revelation of what kind of team we are. We are kings in a sissy ass conference full of jokers. If we venture outside the friendly confines of the ACC into “Big Boy Land”, we will get b%tt f$%ked with no lube.

by CUVince81 on Nov 26, 2012 | 10:12 PM rec flag actions

Now, I’m not trying to pick on CUVince here or anybody else. I feel like we have one of the most educated fanbases in the country and CUVince is part of that. I want to put that on display. I just want it to be fun and for the credit to go when and where it is most deserved.

If posters from other sites want to jump in on the action, go right ahead. We’ve seen people from other sites come here and prove that they are much better than us at trolling and mocking, but when it comes to actual knowledge and understanding of college sports, these types get left in a pool of competing logic that rarely holds up.

So, I want this to be the site to give YOU, the people, the opportunity to show off what you know (or at least, what you think you know). Starting now, I am willing to track your predictions and back you up with the seal of approval.

The most knowledgeable poster of the year will be crowned each April Fools Day with the annual:

“Horowitz Prize for Accurate Posting”

“The Horowitz” is not quite the same as the Nobel Prize, but it is very close in prestige. For those who don’t know, Barry Horowitz was a pro wrestler who’s gimmick was to “pat himself on the back” after he executed a successful move. His ring attire even had a permanent spot for his hand back there.

Starting now, here’s how it works:

1. You can post a prediction in the message board of any post. Your prediction should have an expiration date and must be specific enough for us to understand the intent.

2. You must ask me to “take this down” in your post, “Kraken, take this down.” I’ll respond with “Got it” or “Noted.” Or I’ll ask you to be more specific or tell you why the prediction is too vague if that’s needed. If the prediction is silly, or an attempt to be funny, I’ll make a judgment call, lol. Some of those are probably worth holding on to.

3. Anytime a poster drops an “I told you” type post, you may ask me for clarification or I may just jump in and show you what was actually posted. If they aren’t on record, feel free to dismiss them.

“The Horowitz Prize” will go to the best predictor based on number of correct predictions/opinions, percentage correct, and level of difficulty of predictions.

I have no problem giving “The Horowitz” to a poster from another site that is not a Clemson fan as long as they post here regularly and add to the conversation. I’ll update you on your predictions periodically and reveal the final standings for the year on April Fools Day. (Remember, some predictions may take many years to run their course so you won't get credit until they mature.)

If you’re an STS poster don’t want your opinions and predictions recorded, they won’t be. We all get a little emotional at times and want to vent. I get it.

Hope I explained this well and didn’t make something this simple more difficult than it is. I also hope this doesn't cause STS to go the way of the now defunct Clemson site that said "Clemson to the Big 12 is a done deal."

…and with that, I’d like to help the guy out that might have wandered over from Tigernet who doesn’t get it and post the obligatory: “I predict nobody cares.” Here’s to you, buddy! Thanks for reading and please let me know who wins the “battle of who could care less” when it finally ends. :)

Good luck this year, let’s have some fun with this and see who’s got the goods!