Don't Try to Tell Dabo Swinney the Orange Bowl is Not a Big Deal

Don't try to sell Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on the idea that the Orange Bowl is not a big deal.

No, it is not the College Football Playoff. No, it does not carry a path to the national championship and no, it will not mean you finished the football season as the No. 1 team in the nation. But what it is is simply one of the most prestigious games of all of the bowl games.

So, don't try to sell Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on the idea that the Orange Bowl is not a big deal.

"Well, first of all, the history of the Orange Bowl is amazing," Swinney said. "I mean, some of the greatest games ever in college football have taken place at the Orange Bowl. It's a big-time experience, it's a big-time bowl...I mean, both of these teams (Clemson and Tennessee) are Playoff-caliber teams. There's four spots. It's really, really hard to be in the final four. We're fortunate we've been there a few times and have had some success there. It's really hard and you don't control that. Technically you could have the same record as someone else, someone not put you in there.

"I think the biggest thing is if 11-2, being your league champion, going to the Orange Bowl, if you're not happy with that, I don't really know what to say to you."

For those--fans and media--who are trying to downplay the fact that the Tigers are not in the CFP or vying for a national title again, Swinney added that it is hard to win all of your games, and sometimes you just have to admit that you weren't good enough on a given Saturday.

"It's really hard to win. Man, the players and the staff work extremely hard. There's not many teams out there that have 10-plus wins.," Swinney said. "Tennessee, the season they've had, unbelievable. Then for our team as well. Both of these teams, even though we're not in the final four, we're both teams that certainly for 12 to 13 weeks were one of those few teams that had the opportunity. We both had opportunities to kind of play our way in there. We didn't get that done. But you got to give the opponent credit.

"Again, that's football. Both teams had an amazing season. This will be an exciting opportunity to finish our year again with a Playoff-caliber game. That's what this is. Next year is one more year of the final four, then it's going to 12."

Swinney closed his comments by reminding the fans that the time that you have to cheer for your team is limited, so enjoy it--no matter where they are playing.

"I think this is a great experience for our team, the staff, both teams, then also our fans," Swinney said. "It's Miami. It's the Orange Bowl. You're playing Tennessee. I think any time you get a chance if you're a fan of your team, any time you get a chance to see them play, it ought to be exciting. At most if the whole world goes perfect, you get 15 games, 15 days to play this game, be a fan of your team on the field that day. We're here. We're going to have 14. I'm thankful we got one more game to play.

"Hopefully, we'll have a great crowd. I don't doubt that we will, great environment. Two regional fan bases that I'm sure will support each team."

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