As Historic Streaks Fall, Dabo Swinney Faces Defining Offseason at Clemson

Clemson's run from the 2015-20 seasons was one of the best that college football has ever seen, but now recent seasons have seen the Tigers looking back on that glory.

Since 2021, the program has seen many different streaks become broken, some impressive ones that defined head coach Dabo Swinney's ability to retain success in Clemson's history. Now, perhaps the biggest offseason begins for the Tigers' head coach to get back to that success.

Following Clemson's loss to Penn State in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, the Tigers snapped a 14-year long streak of winning at least one postseason game. There is no team that has more than an eight-year-long streak currently in the country.

There were also earlier streaks that were snapped that speak to the power that Clemson had, beginning in the 2015 season. The Tigers went to six straight College Football Playoffs before not making it in 2021. Although making it in 2024, it came from winning the ACC Championship, giving the team an automatic bid.

Swinney's team had a streak of 10-win seasons, which was snapped in 2023 after a 9-4 season. Though Clemson finished the season on a five-game win streak and put momentum into the year after, the team was out of playoff contention by September, something that didn't happen with the program in years past.

Memorial Stadium, known for one of the strongest home-field advantages during Swinney's tenure, went over a year without a win against a Power Four opponent, snapping after Clemson's win over Florida State in November. It was snapped in 2022 with a loss to South Carolina, which also knocked the Tigers out of playoff contention at that time.

It is important to note that Clemson's longest streaks remain intact, which are the winning season streak and the bowl game eligibility streak. The Tigers have had a winning record in each season since 2011, and have been eligible to play in a bowl game since 1999.

While both of those were in jeopardy in the middle of the season, when the Tigers were at a 3-5 record in their first eight games, but in what Swinney credited as one of the best responses he's seen from one of his teams.

"I'm really proud of this group for their fight, for their effort," he said after the game. "They could have laid down. They didn't do that. They never quit."

Now, Swinney will be moving forward with a new phase of Clemson football. The Tigers had one of the highest retention rates going into this season, including players like quarterback Cade Klubnik and running back Adam Randall, as well as four players on their starting offensive line.

It's a pivotal offseason, but one that Swinney will take with some positives following the 7-6 finish.

"There will be something good come from it, just like the last one we had in 2010," he said. "We had a lot of great things come from it. We'll have a lot of great come from this one, as well."