Does Dabo benefit from uncertainty of Watson's health status?

Dabo has to be under tremendous pressure
 to beat South Carolina. What looked like a
sure win could be fading into loss number six. 

The Columbia gossip website FITS News ran a headline after the Clemson at Georgia Teach game Tiger QB Deshaun Watson lost for the season.

that declared

The Clemson insider website “Shakin-The-Southland” on the Sunday after the GT loss, said chances did not look good for Watson to return.

That same day, South Carolina, left for dead, came back in miracle fashion and beat Florida on the road. The Gamecocks' defense - in a turn - actually held when most needed.

In one glorious Southern Saturday afternoon, the whole gridiron terrain in the Palmetto State tilted from one of gloom for the Gamecocks, to one with a glimmer of sunlight. Spirits for the Tigers, who had been licking their chops to get at the broken-winged birds, flat-lined. Its newly christened QB of the future was down, as SC got a major draft upward.

But then, out of the blue, Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said “Not so fast.” Swinney said Watson could be back. The knee Watson injured at GT was not as bad as telegraphed by the Clemson-centric media.

The most cynical would ask: Is Swinney's prognosis for Watson merely self-serving, in an attempt to hold on to the hope TigerNation had embraced as SC stumbled.

A couple of weeks ago, 2014 looked like THE YEAR that Clemson would end its despised five-game losing streak to its hated in-state rival.

How cruel to take that dream away on an injury and a coinciding waking SC defense.

If Swinney can dangle the belief that Watson will be playing Saturday, so much of the mountainous stress will be lifted from the orange-clad, who are so fatigued with losing.

Now we're left with the latest (this Sunday) words from Swinney. Is he preparing us for a Watson-less Tiger squad when he praised the “confidence” of replacement QB Cole Stoudt?

And was Swinney downplaying the importance of the QB when he said being able to run the football well Saturday versus Georgia State was big.

Swinney also said Watson will be in a green jersey tomorrow (Monday Nov. 24) at practice and they “will see what he can do.”

Is Swinney just dangling the prospect to keep the optimism level high?

Keeping the option open on Watson also keeps the Gamecocks in the dark in game planning.

With there being strategic and morale advantages to leaving news on Watson concealed, with the pressure Swinney is under, why would he not use it to try to forge an edge?