The Clemson Tigers are 1-2 on the season, with a home loss to LSU and a road loss to Georgia Tech already. Although it’s still early in the season, Clemson has the toughest part of its 2025 schedule still ahead.
Clemson’s remaining schedule includes road trips to North Carolina and Boston College, home games against SMU, Duke and No. 7 Florida State, plus road trips to Louisville and in-state rival South Carolina to close out the regular season.
With what lies ahead, it’s not too hard to see Clemson finishing with a losing record. That hasn’t happened under Swinney since 2010, the last time the Tigers finished below .500.
Here’s a look back at that 2010 season.
More: It's ridiculous to put Dabo Swinney on the 'hot seat'
Last time Clemson had a losing record
Clemson finished 6-7 during the 2010 season, navigating a tough schedule that year. Coming into the season, the Tigers were led by quarterback Kyle Parker, running backs Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington, and future NFL star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Following wins over North Texas and Presbyterian, Clemson suffered back-to-back losses to ranked opponents in No. 16 Auburn and No. 16 Miami. The Tigers lost in overtime to Auburn, and the Miami game stayed within one score for most of the way.
Coming off a bye week, things didn’t get much better, as Clemson fell 21-16 on the road to North Carolina. The Tigers rebounded with wins over Maryland and Georgia Tech to improve to 4-3, but then dropped a 16-10 game on the road to Boston College. Clemson responded with a win against ranked NC State in Week 9, but then lost two of its final three games against Florida State and South Carolina.
Clemson earned a bid to the Meineke Car Care Bowl, finishing the regular season 6-6. But the Tigers lost 31-26 to USF in that game, falling to 6-7 on the year.
More: Latest news on former South Carolina QB Connor Shaw, who collapsed while coaching son's football game
2010 Clemson football standings
Here's a look at how the ACC standings shook out this year. The conference still had divisions back then and Florida State won the Atlantic Division, with Virginia winning the Coastal.
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record |
| Atlantic | -- | -- |
| Florida State | 5-3 | 10-4 |
| Maryland | 5-3 | 9-4 |
| N.C. State | 4-4 | 9-4 |
| Boston College | 4-4 | 7-6 |
| Clemson | 4-4 | 6-7 |
| Wake Forest | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Coastal | -- | -- |
| Virginia Tech | 8-0 | 11-3 |
| Miami | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Georgia Tech | 4-4 | 6-7 |
| North Carolina | 4-4 | 8-5 |
| Duke | 1-7 | 3-9 |
| Virginia | 1-7 | 4-8 |
VT defeated FSU 44-33 in the ACC title game to win the conference that season.
Clemson's worst seasons under Dabo Swinney
One losing season aside, it’s hard to pick out years when Swinney has had bad seasons. When you’ve won nine ACC titles, two national championships and several bowl games, it’s difficult to identify truly “down” years.
But there have been some for the Tigers, specifically seasons when they were knocked out of the ACC title hunt or playoff race.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable down years outside of 2010.
- 2012 and 2013: 11-2 finish, missed out on ACCCG but won the Chick-Fil-A and Orange Bowls
- 2014: 10-3 finish after a 1-2 start, missed out on ACCCG but won Russell Athletic Bowl
- 2017: 12-2 finish, lost 24-6 to Alabama in CFP Sugar Bowl semifinal
- 2020: 10-2 finish, lost 49-28 to Ohio State in CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal
- 2021-23: Missed out on CFP entirely
- 2024: 10-4 finish, fell 38-24 in CFP First Round vs. Texas
More: College football predictions for Week 4