Dabo Swinney isn't wrong, but that doesn't mean his comments shouldn't make you wince.
In case you missed it, Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney made headlines yesterday when he commented on the outside expectations for the Clemson program during his weekly coach's show on The Roar FM.
"We are at a point now where if you don’t go undefeated, "you are losers and you’re terrible" and that is just such a terrible mindset," said Swinney. "And honestly, maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon, sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full... That is the good thing about going through a little so-called adversity, you really find out who is with you and who’s not."
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney
While what Swinney said isn't wrong, it stands in stark contrast to comments he made prior to the season, telling his team they're "on the clock" to win a national championship.
Here's the thing, the beauty of college football is the fans and their passion. If those fans weren't as emotionally invested, the cult-like following that has ESPN and FOX pouring billions into the sport wouldn't exist. So for Swinney, a guy whose paychecks are directly tied to that interest, to call out the fans for how much they care is interesting. Of course, fans overreact; that's the whole point. Fans wait for seven to eight months to watch their teams, and their aspirations for a postseason can dissipate in one day.
Now, that's on the verge of changing. As the College Football Playoff expands to twelve teams, the joy and heartbreak that comes with living and dying with every game will be gone. A three or four-loss conference champ could potentially make the postseason. Whether that will be a good or bad thing for the sport remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: if Clemson is in this same position next year, they could still be fighting for a playoff spot.
