ATLANTA — Dabo Swinney keeps reminding us that Clemson football is still Clemson football. The problem is, he says it like Brent Venables is still dialing up blitzes and Trevor Lawrence is still throwing lasers to Tee Higgins. The truth? That Clemson is long gone. The new Clemson nearly lost at home last week to a Sun Belt squad, after coming off a season opening home loss. It took a 16-point deficit in Death Valley for Swinney to finally cave and let his staff adapt the play calling. That’s not championship pedigree. That’s stubbornness wrapped in orange.
The Church of Dabo
Swinney runs Clemson like it’s a megachurch, complete with a cult following and Sunday sermons about doing things “the Clemson way.”
Remember that whole spiel about doing things in God’s name, image and likeness? Yea, that one…
The only problem is, the “Clemson way” stopped scaring anybody outside the ACC like five years ago. These days, the Tigers feel more like Auburn with a lake—a program living off nostalgia, overpromising with preseason hype, and underdelivering when the lights shine brightest, both on and off the field.
Watch him run down the hill before games. It’s supposed to be inspiring, but at this point, it looks like a dad racing to grab the last Coors Banquet at a church cookout. Yes, it’s tradition. But tradition doesn’t score points in Atlanta on Saturday or translate to College Football Playoff success.
With the ACC featuring a resurgent Miami and FSU this fall, it’s hard to see Clemson steamrolling through the conference like year’s past.
You can’t get boat-raced at home to Louisville and then go win the ACC anyways this time around.
The Klubnik Conundrum
And then there’s Cade Klubnik. Dabo talks about Klubnik as if he’s earned the universal respect Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence commanded. But here’s the reality: Klubnik hasn’t earned that level of loyalty. He’s a solid quarterback, sure, but he’s not a generational talent. Acting like he is only exposes how Swinney’s stubborn streak blinds him. Loyalty is great for a family dog, not so much when you’re chasing national championships.
Then again, ACC Championships seem to be the ceiling right now.
Big Games, Small Results
The stats don’t lie. Clemson hasn’t won a big game in years. They haven’t looked like a true national contender since 2020 and even then, there was the blowout in the Big Easy to Justin Fields and the Buckeyes. Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State—they’ve all pulled away while Clemson has been busy talking about culture and doing it the Clemson way. Meanwhile, the Tigers have fallen into a pattern of failing to meet expectations. For a program that once feasted on the biggest stages, they now look more like spectators.
Credit Where It’s Due
Of course, we can’t erase what Swinney has accomplished. He beat Alabama twice on the sport’s biggest stage, in the midst of Nick Saban’s greatest years. He made Clemson a national brand. For a while, he was the one guy who cracked Saban’s code. That earns him some benefit of the doubt, even as the results have soured and coordinator cupboard departed. You can’t pretend those championships didn’t happen.
But here’s the catch: the more Swinney leans on that past, the more irrelevant he looks in the present. His stubbornness has turned Clemson into a team that keeps asking for respect instead of demanding it with its play.
Take last week’s presser for example. Swinney touted a moral victory in earning a grade of 58 on the mid-term exam, while LSU received a 65.
While Swinney’s point makes sense from afar, the score was rather generous to his own team’s performance. LSU kicked ass in that second half, touchdown taken back or not.
Tech Rising
Enter Georgia Tech. Brent Key has rebuilt this program from a punchline under Mr. Waffle House Capri Pants, Geoff Collins, into a legitimate contender.
The Yellow Jackets aren’t just playing hard; they’re winning games that matter. They’ve got a veteran-led roster, a defense that flies around, and an offense with enough juice to make Clemson sweat both on the ground and through the air. This isn’t the pushover version of Tech Clemson used to roll over in Swinney’s dynasty years. This is a program on the rise. And it makes Saturday afternoon in Atlanta a bellwether game for the Tigers.
If Clemson wants to prove it still matters nationally, it has to make a statement here. A narrow win won’t do it. They need to control the game, shut down Tech’s momentum, and show that they can actually handle a tough road environment against a good team. Otherwise, the critics will be louder than ever on “little ‘Ole Clemson.”
Keys to a Bounce Back
For Clemson to deliver that statement win, it starts with balance. Klubnik has to prove he can push the ball downfield instead of dinking and dunking. The running game must establish rhythm early, taking pressure off an offensive line that’s been shaky. And the defense—once the program’s calling card—needs to rediscover its teeth for a full 60 minutes. Brent Venables isn’t walking through that door, so someone else has to step up and become the heartbeat of leading that unit.
Most of all, Swinney has to let go of the past. He can’t coach this game like it’s still 2016. He needs to adapt, call aggressive plays, and stop treating loyalty like it’s a trophy. Sure, he may mold a bunch of young men into life champions off the field, but this is football in the South and Clemson fans expect to win at an SEC fanbase’s expectation level.
Clemson has the talent to win. But unless they play like a modern program, they’ll keep looking like an old relic and eventually get passed by in their own conference, too.
Mike Norvell, Mario Cristobal, Brent Key and Jeff Brohm are licking their chops.
It’s go time, Clemson.
B.Y.O.G. as Swinney famously says.
Final Word
Clemson heads into Atlanta with a lot to prove. Swinney has the rings, the résumé, and the right to demand patience. But patience runs thin when the same mistakes keep piling up. If Clemson wants to silence critics, this is the moment.
Lose to Tech, and the “Auburn with a lake” jokes will turn into reality on the field, not just off it. Win with authority, and maybe—just maybe—the Tigers can convince us they’re not a cult stuck worshipping the past, sulking in nostalgia at the NewSpring Church.
What a game we have on hand at high noon, Saturday.
It’s Clemson and Georgia Tech from the ATL.
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