CLEMSON, SC (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney doesn’t see this season much differently than others in his long, successful career: Criticism of his philosophy, his team figured out early before celebrating another season on top.
“The way I’ve been taking pictures since I got the job,” Swinney said. “Yeah, what’s changed?”
Not so much, inside or out. The 12th-seeded Tigers (10-3) are in the College Football Playoffs for the seventh time in the format’s 11-season history. Clemson, ranked no. 13, opens to no. 4 Texas (11-2), the fifth seed, with the winner facing fourth-seeded Arizona State in the quarterfinals.
Swinney’s heard the critics throughout his tenure, who started as interim coach midway through the 2008 season, on a variety of topics, from religion, to his past views on paying players and his lack of awareness, in the eyes of some, by wearing a ‘Football Matters’ shirt in 2020 while others protested the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
The “Football Matters” campaign was an initiative of the National Football Foundation, which was renamed “Future For Football” later that summer.
The last few seasons, the loudest cries are focused on Swinney’s reluctance to use the transfer portal, other than bringing in a back-of-the-bench quarterback for practice depth.
“I mean, I’ve been taking pictures for 16 years. We just keep winning, you know? I mean, we just keep going about our business, being goal-driven, and I know some coaches might say that, but I really don’t care about criticism from outside.
Many left Clemson for dead after an overwhelming 34-3 loss to then-No. 1 Georgia on the opening week. As the Tigers found their footing — and their offense — for six straight wins, a home loss to Louisville sent Clemson back to the top of the basket. The Tigers’ hopes of a postseason berth looked dashed after a 17-14 loss to rival South Carolina in the regular-season finale.
But Clemson found new life when Miami lost to Syracuse 42-38 later in the day, turning bitter disappointment into a second chance at an ACC championship berth.
And the Tigers took full advantage, with a touch of late-game drama, reaching the 12-team CFP field with a 34-31 win over SMU on a 56-yard, walk-off field goal by rookie Nolan Hauser.
It was Swinney’s ninth ACC title since 2011. And along the way, he became the ACC’s all-time leader in coaching victories, surpassing Florida State’s late, great Bobby Bowden.
“This,” third-team AP All-American linebacker Barrett Carter said of the performance, “is what we expect.”
Carter acknowledged the 24-7 noise from outsiders, something players, in their late teens and early 20s, can’t avoid. Swinney preaches staying focused on the team and the task of playing your best on game day, regardless of what others think.
After the Georgia loss at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Carter said Swinney told the team to keep their heads up because if they play to their potential, they’ll have two more games in the building — at the Peach Bowl in a CFP quarterfinal and the national championship competition next month.
It was a far-reaching message that gave the team confidence and belief, in Carter’s view. And those counting Clemson out? “It just doesn’t matter what they say,” he said.
It is not always easy to see the thinking behind Swinney’s methods. ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain walks a fine line as a former offensive lineman who played for Swinney in the early 2010s. Mac Lain was part of the Tigers’ first CFP team, falling to Derrick Henry and Alabama in the 2015 postseason title game.
Mac Lain wondered why Clemson waited until the season finale last month before AD Graham Neff and Swinney appealed the school’s NIL program and how it will now give donors priority points for improved seating and parking in future seasons.
“Don’t understand why it wasn’t done sooner,” he said. “But I’m not in the strategy sessions.”
Mac Lain has questioned Clemson’s gate-resistant stance in recent years, although he was encouraged by Southeast Missouri State receiver Tristan Smith’s commitment Monday.
“Maybe things are changing,” Mac Lain said. “It can only add to the program.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian admires Swinney’s values and consistency. Teams run into trouble when they change core values during tough times, Longhorns coach believes.
“Clemson knows who they are and they play to their strengths,” he said. “And that’s a byproduct of Dabo knowing who he is.”
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AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
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