As I was watching Alabama make a laughingstock of Clemson on national television last weekend, there was one thought that I just couldn’t shake.

I guess it was about the time the Tigers completely abandoned their vaunted ground game – after approximately two possessions – in favor of throwing underneath routes to former walk-ons.

I just couldn’t help but wonder if Clemson’s ‘Thunder and Lightning’ tandem of James Davis and C.J. Spiller wish they would’ve made different decisions.

Of course, I’m referring to Davis’ decision to withdraw his name from the NFL Draft on the day of the deadline last January and Spiller’s decision not to transfer to Florida after his freshman season and to remain at Clemson the January prior.

I realize that neither of their decisions were all about football – Davis also wanted to finish his degree and Spiller’s primary reason for pondering a transfer was to be closer to his family in Florida – and neither of them have probably given this serious thought, except in the back of their minds.

But certainly, what happened last Saturday night – a combined tally of eight carries – was not what either of them signed back up for.

This theory obviously applies most to Spiller, who showed that he was clearly the best player on the field yet was called on to carry the ball just twice against ’Bama.

It seems like every time that Clemson loses a game, I always hear the same question from the opposing fan base: “Why don’t they give the ball to Spiller more often?” I’ve heard it from BC fans, Georgia Tech fans, Virginia Tech fans, even South Carolina fans, and after Saturday night’s game, it was one of the first things out of the mouth of the only Alabama fan that I know.

Which begs the question, why don’t they give the ball to Spiller more often?

I realize that falling into a big hole early in a ball game forces you to change your game plan, but what better way to get back into a game than to get the ball in the hands of the one guy on your team that can score from anywhere on the field in the blink of an eye?

The game against Alabama was strikingly similar to the Tigers’ previous game, the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season against Auburn, where their ground game was virtually shut down except for one 83-yard burst from Spiller, who carried the ball just eight times in that game.

Against Alabama, Spiller accounted for 195 of the 385 all-purpose yards the Tigers accumulated.

As for what would’ve been had ‘Lightning’ actually transferred to Florida, one can only imagine that he would be nothing short of a national superstar. True, he would’ve had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, but just imagine an offense with Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin AND C.J. Spiller.

I, for one, haven’t seen a playmaker in college football as explosive as Spiller since Reggie Bush – and Bush had a collection of future NFL linemen blocking for him on his way to the Heisman Trophy.

But for a Clemson offense that was having trouble getting anybody blocked for even half-a-second, it would seem the obvious answer is to get the ball to the one guy that can make something out of absolutely nothing.

Yet, Spiller touched the ball exactly four times on offense against Alabama. On those four plays, he gained a total of 34 yards – better than eight yards per touch. Why not give him 20 touches?

I only hope that Clemson fans get the chance to see what they have in Spiller – the most dangerous and electric player ever to strap on the orange helmet with the white paw.

While Spiller is only a junior, and has publicly expressed his desire to return for his senior season, I personally see that scenario as highly unlikely.

Fortunately for C.J., when he does decide to enter the NFL Draft, he’ll test off the charts at the combine, run a ridiculous 40-yard-dash time and likely be chosen in the first round.

As for Davis, one wonders if things will work out quite so well for him.

James likely would’ve been chosen in the second round of last April’s draft, after a season running behind a line that featured a pair of first-team All-ACC performers.

This season, we’ll see what ‘Thunder’ is really made of, because if the holes he had to run through against Alabama are any indication, running room will be sparse at best this year.

Moreover, the whole ‘Thunder’ monicker, while it makes for a catchy nickname, has never been all that apt as it relates to Davis.

Don’t get me wrong, Davis is a great back, but he has always been a guy whose strength is his unbelievable vision – the ability to find a hole to run through before it is even actually there. Davis has never been what you would call a “power back,” a runner that hits the pile and moves it or drags tacklers down the field with him. Instead, Davis needs an offensive line that can open some holes for him in order to truly show what he can do. Once he gets into the open field, that’s when he becomes tough to bring down.

It would be interesting to see what he could do in a more straight-forward rushing attack, the kind with a lead blocker and an offensive line that plays with a hand on the ground.

While Davis is sure to see some open field at times – the Tigers do have games against The Citadel, South Carolina State and Duke – and he’ll likely become the school’s all-time leading rusher at some point this season, one has to wonder what this year will do for his draft stock.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Davis drop at least a round – from a potential second- or third-round choice last year to perhaps a third- or fourth-round selection next April – particularly since, unlike Spiller, Davis is unlikely to wow anybody with his performance at the NFL Combine.

All is not lost, however, as the Tigers still have nearly all their preseason goals – save for a national title – still on the table. And as bad as Clemson looked in its opener, there’s still no reason to think an ACC Championship and the accompanying BCS berth are not still very much in reach.

One can only hope that Davis and Spiller can achieve those goals, instead of ultimately regretting their decisions to return to Clemson – even if only in the back of their minds.