On the heels of a year with his fewest wins since 2010, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers will open a season outside of the Associated Press’ Preseason Top 25. Clemson being left out is also historic, as it’s the first time since 2011 the Tigers will kickoff a season unranked.
Ranked or not, Swinney is facing pressure to get Clemson back on track. The Tigers will look to rebound after a disappointing 7-6 (4-4, ACC) season that saw ended with a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State.
Prior to 2025, Clemson had reached the College Football Playoff in two of the previous three seasons, with the only miss being a nine-win campaign and Gator Bowl victory in 2023. Further explaining Clemson’s run of dominance, 2023 was also the only season Swinney failed to record double-digit wins dating all the way back to 2010, his third year on the job.
Overall in his 18 years at the helm, Swinney has a resume that will make him a lock for the College Football Hall of Fame. He holds a 187-53 record, which equates to winning at a .779% clip, a 12-10 mark in bowl games, six College Football Playoff appearances, nine ACC titles and two consensus national championships (2016, 2018).
As one of the most consistently successful programs over the last decade plus, Clemson now stands as an afterthought nationally and behind several schools who did earn a preseason ranking out of just the ACC alone.
But the past doesn’t matter as much as the present in this ear of the sport. And Swinney is now tasked with restoring his program and his personal image all at once.
And if Swinney fails and Clemson endures a similar fate to 2025, questions will erupt about the future of the 56-year-old legendary coach.
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