It’s almost over for the Clemson Tigers before it started. With their 24-21 loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon, Dabo Swinney’s program is already at risk of missing the College Football Playoff this season.
The Greenville News’ Derrian Carter spoke of Clemson’s season as though it were already slipping away – since in many ways, it is, if the team can’t rally and win out the rest of the way in ACC play.
“Swinney took ownership postgame for his team's woes, but Clemson is too talented and experienced to be underachieving,” Carter wrote.
“Clemson isn't out of the playoff picture yet as the Tigers can win out in conference play and receive some good fortune to make the ACC championship game like they received last season. Still, Clemson will need to put together a complete game on offense and defense and start winning close games to generate a win streak in conference play.”
The gut reaction right now from the Tigers fanbase is wanting Swinney to be fired. Though he’s won two College Football Playoff National Championships in South Carolina, he’s not come close to doing so in the NIL era. The last four-team field his team made was the 2020/2021 field, the last of the pre-NIL era and, infamously, the COVID-19-stricken season that shortened the schedule.
The 2024 season was supposed to set the stage for a step forward this year, but that hasn’t happened and doesn’t look like it will. That’s a coaching issue when Swinney’s top recruiting classes from high school don’t develop, and he refuses to scour the Transfer Portal for elite upperclassmen.
Clemson is a has-been program in the NIL, but in infinitely more dramatic fashion than the Alabama Crimson Tide during Nick Saban’s final years. Saban’s teams were reaching the CFP semifinal at least.
If the Tigers lose again before November, there will likely be some uncomfortable conversations in Clemson about Swinney’s future.