Four Championship Game Appearances Not an Advantage for Clemson

While some may be counting Clemson's experience in the biggest game of the season as an advantage, head coach Dabo Swinney is not buying that train of thought. In part, based on what they accomplished last season.

When the No. 3 Clemson Tigers take the field against the No. 1 LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship it will mark their fourth trip to the biggest stage in college football, as opposed to the first for the LSU Tigers under the new playoff format (2014).

While some may be counting Clemson's experience in the biggest game of the season as an advantage, head coach Dabo Swinney is not buying that train of thought. In part, based on what they accomplished last season.

"I mean, it's always good to have experience, but we won the National Championship with a true freshman quarterback last year," Swinney said. "That was supposedly a disadvantage for us, a guy who hadn't been there. So I don't buy any of that stuff. I love having experienced guys that can lead, but we're a really young team. 

"We've got, again, 80 of our 120 are freshmen and sophomores. So they haven't been in four out of the last five National Championships. Our program has, so from a program standpoint I think that it definitely — from a preparation and those type of things and the seniors that we do have, these guys, these fifth-year guys have been here for four out of the last five. So they have a good clear visual, but we don't have many of those guys. We've just got a few."

Lawrence echoed the sentiment of Swinney, believing that while there is a benefit to understanding the environment and outside obligations, the game will be won by the team that executes.

"It doesn't make a huge impact just because the game will be won out there, and I know LSU is going to put together a great game plan and they're going to be ready," Lawrence said. "Even though they haven't played in a National Championship, they're not thinking about that.

"But just knowing that you've been there before helps a little bit, especially with me. I know what to expect as far as how everything is going to go, and even just schedule-wise, when you're going to get there and how the days are going to be. I'm pretty comfortable knowing that, and I know what I'm kind of going into and the stage and know the lights are a little bit brighter, it's a big stage, but knowing we've been there before definitely does help a little bit."

Defensive MVP of the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl believes that more important than the fact that Clemson has been in the championship game four out of the last five years, is being able to draw on the experiences, both positive and negative, in preparation for the game.

"It's drawing back on those experiences and how those guys before us prepared and how they approached the game, and then we still have players on this team that have played in that moment last year, guys like Trevor and Nolan Turner and Tanner Muse and those guys who have been in that moment," Smith said. "Being able to draw back from their experience and how they approached that game is going to be important for the young guys because we have such a young team, to be able to rely on those older guys and how they go about their preparation.

"And really it doesn't change. We treat it just like any other game. Yeah, it's the biggest game on the biggest stage, but we wouldn't have been able to get there if it wasn't for our preparation in the previous games. So we've just got to approach it the same, with the same focus, with the same intensity that we prepared for each and every game, and go out there and execute what we have game planned."