Clemson HC Dabo Swinney is Embracing The Underdog Role Heading Into LSU

The Clemson Tigers head coach understands where his team stands in the overall talk heading into No. 11 LSU. His team will be prepared for the theatrics, though.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney will go to Baton Rouge in Week 1 to face LSU, being a massive underdog. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As the 2026 season inches closer to Week 1, the Clemson Tigers are preparing their trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face No. 11 LSU. 

While being expected to lose by more than a touchdown, according to the betting odds, head coach Dabo Swinney is embracing having nothing to lose going into the content, compared to his opponent. 

“They know nobody’s gonna pick us, nobody’s gonna give them a chance, or any of that types of stuff.” he said on his radio show Tiger Hour with Dabo Swinney. “it’s why you play the games, though.”

Compared to last season, Clemson was the expected favorite and the No. 4 team in the entire country, ending up with a 1-3 record four weeks later. Now, the expectation is for the Tigers not to hold their own, but Swinney says the team understands the national narrative of what’s expected. 

Of course, the game of football has other ideas at times. 

“We’re a bunch of nobodies, I guess that nobody’s our cousin,” he said. “This is football; it’s why you play the games. You don’t have to say much to these guys, these guys don’t live in a cave.”

While the fanfare of LSU’s mock gameday, a new head coach and roster overhaul leading to an overwhelming feelling, especially with College GameDay and other national media outlets, Swinney is playing mind games of his own. For the third straight season, Clemson will enter the opening game without a depth chart. 

It goes back to what the Tigers’ head coach was saying regarding preseason identity: nobody’s earned their spot just yet and it will never be safe throughout the year. 

“In my mind, we still don’t have starters,” Swinney said. “We’re’ gonna run some guys out there Saturday, and then we’ll start to make some decisions because we’ll have some performances.”

Part of the game, as well as Swinney’s analysis of a player, will be about “managing the emotions of the game.” A high-stakes game against a top 15 opponent could lead to emotional play that a typical game doesn’t always bring. 

Clemson can’t have its players crash and burn in doing so, needing to play a near-perfect game to pull off the upset.

“All we need is some clowns and some elephants; this is going to be a circus, man,” Swinney said. “This checks every box that you can think of. You can’t make it any bigger for an opener, I mean you name it.”

However, the Tigers are historically better under Swinney when they are the underdog, their two national championship wins tell that clearly. However, a primetime game like the one they’re about to experience must have communication and an emotional balance.

The Clemson head coach believes his group is ready for the challenge. 

“We’re gonna have our hands full, but our team certainly believes, ain’t no doubt about it,” he said. “We’ll be excited to go play.”

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