Swinney Gases Up the ROY Bus and Goes Off on Media Perception (With Video)

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has not been a fan of the national media this season. Whether it was the criticism of quarterback Trevor Lawrence early this season or the fact that the ACC is perceived as a weak league by many, namely ESPN, around the country, Swinney has had to defend his team and the ACC at times this season.

COLUMBIA — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has not been a fan of the national media this season. Whether it was the criticism of quarterback Trevor Lawrence early this season or the fact that the ACC is perceived as a weak league by many, namely ESPN, around the country, Swinney has had to defend his team and the ACC at times this season.

But following Saturday's 38-3 win over instate rival and member of the vaunted SEC, Swinney was asked if the Tigers' win was big for the perception of his team in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee.

"It is huge from a national standpoint, because obviously if we lose this game, they are going to kick us out," Swinney said. "They don't want us in there anyway. We would drop to 20, you know? Georgia loses to this very same team, and the next day it's, 'How do we keep Georgia in it?!' We win against the team that beats South Carolina and it's, 'How we get Clemson out?' It's the dadgumest thing. We don't have a choice. We got to go 30-0 because we don't play nobody."

Swinney continued by saying that outside of his team's one-point win over the North Carolina Tar Heels that there has not been a more consistent football team in the country, but the Tigers do not get the benefit of the doubt because of the perception that the ACC is a weak conference.

There's nobody been more consistent than us," Swinney said. "We've been unbelievably consistent, but our league doesn't get the credit. Maybe we need some of the ACC guys on some of the big network shows that they have. There aren't any of them from the ACC. Maybe we need to put Tim Bourret on there.

“All I can tell you is we're 10-1 versus the SEC in our last 11 and we've won 115 games this decade, so has Ohio State and so has Alabama and we've played both of them. Our program is what people don't focus on. Let me tell you, Virginia would be 9-3 in any league. VTech - they'd be 8-4 in any league. There are a lot of good football teams in this league, but people just don't pay attention. At the end of the day, It's not my job to build a good league, it's my job to build a good program and I think we've done a nice job of that for a long time. 

"This team has gone 12-0. 124 years of Clemson football and it's the fourth time, ever. 1981, 2015, 2018, 2019. It's hard to do and there are only three undefeated teams in America. If it's easy to be undefeated, how come there's more than three? There are some other weak leagues as people like to say. How come they aren't undefeated?”. 

"If it's easy to be undefeated, how come there's more than three? There are some other weak leagues as people like to say. How come they aren't undefeated?”In fact, there has not been a team that has been better in the last decade.

Clemson earned its 115th victory this decade to join Alabama and Ohio State of the 2010s and Penn and Yale of the 1890s as the only major college football programs since 1890 to win 115 games in a single decade. The 2019 Clemson seniors won their 53rd game to tie the 2017 Alabama seniors for third-most in FBS history in a four-year span. The group matched the 2018 Alabama seniors as the fastest to 53 wins (56 games).

Clemson won its 27th consecutive game, dating to the start of the 2018 season, to extend the longest winning streak in school history and second-longest winning streak in ACC history. The 27-game winning streak now stands in sole possession of the 18th-longest streak in major college football history.

"All aboard they ROY Bus. We just want a seat wherever we can go but you have to take one step at a time,” he said. “We're not entitled to win and we never think that way. We start over every week. We have a very humble spirit to our team. It takes a lot of humility to prepare every week because you have to go earn it. Our guys have that mindset and our staff does a wonderful job. I'm excited. I can't say enough about this team. It's just incredible what I've been able to witness. We've won 27 games in a row. It's just unbelievable.”

The victory was Clemson’s 10th against a Power Five conference opponent this season, the most in the country. Clemson finished the regular season having won its 10 games against Power Five opponents by an average margin of 33.5 points, including eight victories of 31 or more points.

In addition, Clemson improved to 10-1 against SEC competition since 2016 and won its 10th straight regular season game against SEC competition. Clemson's last regular season loss to an SEC team came against Georgia in 2014, won its 12th straight true road game, the longest active streak in the country, to tie the school-record 12-game streak from 2015-17 and earned its 24th victory in its last 25 true road games and its 37th victory in its last 40 games away from home.

"All I can tell you is we are 10-1 vs. the SEC in our last 11, and we've won 115 games this decade and so have Alabama and Ohio State, and we've played both of them. Our program is what people don't focus on.

"Y'all are getting some good footage today! Some B-roll, some riveting postgame press conference. It is what it is. All aboard the ROY bus."