Clemson releases 2012 football schedule

It's official: Clemson has finalized its football schedule for 2012.

Here's how it looks:

Sept. 1 Auburn (in Atlanta)
Sept. 8 BALL STATE
Sept. 15 FURMAN
Sept. 22 at Florida State
Sept. 29 at Boston College
Oct. 6 GEORGIA TECH
Oct. 13 Open Date
Oct. 20 VIRGINIA TECH
Oct. 25 at Wake Forest
Nov. 3 at Duke
Nov. 10 MARYLAND
Nov. 17 N.C. STATE
Nov. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA

Auburn in the Georgia Dome to kick things off. Three home games to finish the season. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech at home with a week off between those tough games, but then only a five-day break before playing at Wake Forest on a Thursday night.

This sounds like a lot of fun.

Sammy Watkins, punt returner? Bring it on

ESPN's Heather Dinich reports that All-American receiver Sammy Watkins wants to return punts next season. (He already returns kickoffs spectacularly.)

“I want to be more known as a great athlete not just at receiver, but as a kick returner and special teams, also," Watkins told Dinich.

Let's make that happen.

Brent Venables brings diverse background to Tigertown

Orange and White's Kerry Capps has a nice profile of Clemson's new defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who has worked with some of the top coaches in the country and brings a different perspective to the Tigers' coaching staff:

For Venables, the trunk of his personal coaching tree is Hayden Fry, long-time head coach at Iowa, who has sent a string of former players and assistant coaches to high-profile head coaching jobs, including Bob and Mark Stoops, Bill Snyder, Barry Alvarez, Jim Leavitt and Bo Pelini, among others.

Impressive.

• Six Tigers are taking part in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis -- Dwayne Allen, Andre Branch, Antoine McClain, Rennie Moore, Coty Sensabaugh and Brandon Thompson. Good luck, guys.

Clemson players under scrutiny for party-flier promo

Exhibit No. 3,546 of the hypocrisy and stupidity of the NCAA: Two Clemson football players could be in hot water for appearing on party fliers promoting a get-together at a nightclub. (It was a birthday party for one of the players.)

According to the short story by The Charleston Post and Courier's Travis Sawchik, "NCAA rules prohibit employing an athlete's name or likeness to promote a commercial interest."

It seems that a "commercial interest" is whatever the NCAA says it is, so clearly the multibillion-dollar sport of college football is most definitely not a "commercial interest." At all.

Clemson sets non-conference schedule

While we wait for the ACC to get its act together regarding the 2012 football schedule, Clemson has set its non-conference slate for the upcoming season.

As announced on Thursday, Clemson will open the season on Sept. 1 in Atlanta against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. The Tigers will host Ball State on Sept. 8 and Furman on Sept. 15.

This season's home ACC foes are Georgia Tech, Maryland, N.C. State and Virginia Tech. The league road opponents are Boston College, Duke, Florida State and Wake Forest. The season-ending showdown the South Carolina is set for Nov. 24.

It's official: Clemson vs. Auburn on Sept. 1

Is it me, or is there a lot of football news getting pumped out in February? Or is this just how the Web news world works nowadays? (I'm pretty sure it's the latter.)

Well, here's the latest: The Clemson-Auburn season-opening game is now officially scheduled for Sept. 1 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. It's part of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic’s first ACC-SEC doubleheader. (N.C. State and Tennessee play on Aug. 31.)

Beyond the intrigue of two top football powers in the South facing off to open the season, this game will perhaps put an end to the Chick-fil-A recruiting squabble.

ACC football schedule faces 'unusual' delay

Via Orange and White, the Atlantic Coast Conference put out a statement today that says the release of the 2012 schedule for ACC football will be delayed.

I'm guessing this is all related to conference expansion and realignment -- not just in the ACC, but across the country.

Sammy Watkins: He's just getting started

Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris tells the Orange and White that All-American receiver Sammy Watkins, who gathered every conceivable honor as a freshman last season, could reach even higher ground this fall, but it won't be easy:

“What helped get him to where he was as a freshman, this offense can help catapult him even more,” Morris said. “He’s going to be even more of a high-profile guy. The challenge to him is how hard is he going to work to prepare himself going into the second year of this system."

Morris also says he wants to open up the talent-rich state of Texas to Clemson's recruiting efforts.

Dabo Swinney's making it rain in Tigertown

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney is sharing the financial love with his assistant coaches.

After earning big financial incentives (and a salary boost to $1.9 million in 2012) for leading the Tigers to their first ACC title in 20 years, he decided to kick in a hefty chunk of that bonus money -- $265,000 -- to the $450,000 of raises that the university doled out to the assistants.

I wish I worked for a company like that.