Swinney Doesn't Have to Convince Most Tigers This Orange Bowl Matters

For the first time in the 20 years that Dabo Swinney has been at Clemson, including as an assistant and the head coach, the Tigers had their first bowl game opt-out.

Junior defensive end Myles Murphy announced this week that he was turning pro, entering the 2023 NFL Draft and forgoing Clemson's trip to the Orange Bowl, where the No. 7 Tigers will take on No. 6 Tennessee on Dec. 30 at 8 p.m.

That's a fairly impressive feat that it's taken this long as opting out of bowl games, a hot topic among fans, has been prevalent in college football for the last several years.

"I haven't had to do a lot of convincing," Swinney said. "These guys are all out here and they all want to play. They're all excited about going to the bowl game and honestly, these are the experiences that when it's all said and done that they're going to remember and cherish. These times, these moments."

Swinney recognizes, though, that society has changed and the culture is different when it comes to these postseason trips compared to when he was a player. Some guys, like Murphy, want to get a head start on training for the NFL combine and rest their bodies or not risk injury.

"Certainly you wish you had all your best players, but again, you understand it, you get it, respect it," Swinney said about Murphy's decision. "You can agree to disagree and still love each other, right? So I just gave him my thoughts and it's his decision. It's not my decision.

"So high-five him, love him up, see you at the banquet. We gotta go get ready to play."

Swinney has always emphasized how important any game is for his program, and his players have long bought into that. Senior defensive players Tyler Davis and KJ Henry are suiting up. So is draft-eligible defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, who hasn't played much football this season. The Vols, meanwhile, will be without two of their best offensive weapons because of opt-outs.

Swinney ran through several names of former Tigers who benefited from sticking it out and playing in postseason games that weren't playoff contests. Players like C.J. Spiller, Da'Quan Bowers, DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Stephone Anthony and Vic Beasley used that one last game to help jumpstart their pro careers.

"These games are important," Swinney said.

Even though the Tigers missed the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive year, going to South Florida for the Orange Bowl to wrap up this season for an 11-2 team still means something to Swinney and most of his program.

"At the end of the day, you just wanna know who's ready to play, who's all in and get ready to go play but you don't really spend any time worrying about it," Swinney said. "I do think that at least here this game (against Tennessee) is important for a lot of people and these guys have always chosen to play.

"But if they don't, no big deal. Let's go play."

Clemson is a 6 .5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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