Swinney Excited For Return to Where It All Started...The Orange Bowl

No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson are set to meet in the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30, 2022 at 8 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

"We are super excited to be heading back to the Orange Bowl. We've got a team that's excited. Really proud of our guys, how they finished the season," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

"To have the opportunity to play in this game is something that you really dream of. Especially here at Clemson, took 30 years to get back there when we got there in '11, now to get back there for the fourth time in 12 years, I'm thankful that this team is going to get that experience, and our staff, because it is an iconic bowl experience, one that I know everyone will enjoy being a part of."

Tennessee will be making its fifth appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl and its first since 1998, when the team was led by quarterback Peyton Manning. The Volunteers also appeared in the Orange Bowl in 1939 (17-0 win over Oklahoma), 1947 (8-0 loss to Rice) and 1968 (26-24 loss to Oklahoma).

"Eric Poms, the entire Orange Bowl staff, they do an amazing job, as does everybody that's affiliated with this bowl," Swinney added. "Then you throw in the fact that you get a chance to compete against a team like Tennessee that may be the best team in the country this year. They are one of those teams that certainly can play with anybody. They showed that all year.

Clemson will be making its seventh Orange Bowl appearance and its first since winning the CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl in 2015. The Tigers own a 4-2 all-time Orange Bowl record and won their first national title in the 1982 Orange Bowl. Clemson also appeared in 1951 (15-14 win over Miami), 1957 (27-21 loss to Colorado), 2012 (70-33 loss to West Virginia) and 2014 (40-35 win over Ohio State).

This will mark the 20th time the Volunteers and Tigers have met on the gridiron dating back to 1901, with Tennessee leading the all-time series 11-6-2. The two most recently met in the 2004 Peach Bowl, where Clemson won 27-14.

"It's a great matchup," Swinney said. "I know both teams, both fan bases, are super excited to see these teams compete on the field. But we're thankful for the opportunity and, again, really proud of our team for how they competed, to win this ACC championship, earn the right to get back to the Orange Bowl."

SEC East runner-up Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) owns the nation’s top offense, averaging 538.1 yards per game, and the country’s third-best passing offense (332.3 passing yards per game). ACC Champion Clemson (11-2, 8-0 ACC) owns the nation’s 10th best rushing defense (101.1 rushing yards per game allowed) and the 17th best scoring defense (20.1 points per game allowed). The Tigers have compiled 40 sacks on the season, good for fourth-best in the nation.

Tennessee’s Josh Heupel is in fifth season as a head coach and second in charge of the Tennessee Volunteers. He began his head coaching career with UCF, gathering a 28-8 record before making the move to Knoxville, where he currently owns a 17-8 record. Heupel is a former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback who won a national championship in the 2001 Orange Bowl as the Heisman runner-up.

"Congratulations to Coach Heupel and Tennessee for them earning the right to be here as well," Swinney said. "The job that they did this year was amazing. Got a chance to see them quite a bit. It will be a great matchup."

Swinney is in his 15th season at the helm of the Tigers, owning a 161-38 record since taking over in 2008. He has led Clemson to seven ACC titles over the last eight seasons, three Orange Bowl appearances and two national titles, the first coach in program history to win multiple national championships.

Clemson is a 5.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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