By Ed McGranahan.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — Distance frequently offers a refreshing perspective, away from the shrillness and noise.

Here, where Ohio State and WVU loyalties overlap, it’s easier to remain detached and amused by the insanity that grips college football fans.

There’s a sense among OSU fans that Urban Meyer lost his edge and isn’t is hungry as he was at Florida.

Buckeyes fans are all over him for the meek offense and lousy special teams performances against Virginia Tech, an embarrassing display at home with a clump of new seats.

Saturday’s game with Kent should provide a measure of relief from the assault, but Ohio State lost last season’s two best playmakers to the NFL and an ugly injury so it’s probably going to be a rough ride until the new guys figure it out.

Have a familiar ring?

Playing Alabama close created false hope for WVU fans. The Mountaineers, with former Florida State backup quarterback Clint Trickett (remember him?), play Maryland next then face a Big 12 schedule that includes home games with Oklahoma and Baylor and road games at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas.

Comparatively, the ACC Coastal would have been a stroll on the beach.

A week at the beach might have been preferable to Clemson coaches who continue to swim against the tide of public opinion. Back when they held the quarterback lottery most assumed Chad Kelly held the winning ticket. His raw skill, stronger arm and quicker feet would trump Cole Stoudt’s three years in Chad Morris’ system, then after couple of seasons as the starter, Kelly would hand the job to Deshaun Watson.

That would leave Stoudt with a decision – to stay for a fourth season as a backup and help Watson prepare, or transfer to a program desperately in need of a starter immediately, much like Trickett and NC State’s Russell Wilson before him.

It would have been a shame after Stoudt’s investment in Clemson, but Kelly made the decision easier which is why I’ve wondered if Swinney and Morris had an inkling Kelly couldn’t cash all the checks his mouth wrote, why they constantly emphasized that “everything” would be considered in the final decision.

Once Kelly was dismissed it was easy, with Watson nursing a fractured collarbone, to name Stoudt the starter. Swinney and Morris knew then who had the better arm and feet, but they weren’t confident Watson could handle the pressure less than a year out of high school.

Based on the available evidence, in their minds “the best chance for success” was experience over skill, which was why they chose Stoudt over Watson as well as Howard over Gallman or Choice, Humphries over Scott, Seckinger over McCullough.

If field position hadn’t been as influential on the game’s rhythm perhaps the younger players might have been more influential on the outcome, but Clemson lost to Georgia by going with the more experienced guy over the more talented.

Could it have been worse?

That’s what we don’t know and those certainly are among the questions confronting Dabo Swinney and Morris heading into the game at top-ranked Florida State next week, and the evidence isn’t much different now than in the spring. A game with S.C. State didn’t make an appreciable dent in the experience gap, but would anybody be surprised if Gallman, Choice, Scott and McCullough have more substantial roles in Tallahassee? Unlikely.

And Watson?

That’s the biggest question, one that Swinney and Morris aren’t prepared to answer until kickoff. They know Watson is the better runner, has the stronger arm and seems capable of ignoring the pressure and delivering, but Stoudt’s maturity and unflappable style could be beneficial with a productive supporting cast.

Will that be enough?

If Clemson wins at Tallahassee, the quarterback on the field at the end of the game will start against North Carolina. If Clemson loses again with Stoudt as the principle, maybe they change the next week. If Stoudt is on a short leash and they throw Watson to the wolves – and lose – then what?

Their answers aren’t as obvious as fans would like, which was why perspective can be valuable, and why coaches are paid the big bucks.