Josh Pate Puts One College Football Powerhouse on the Clock

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during the first half at the annual Orange and White spring game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Clemson Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney are entering a pressure-packed season.

Clemson Faces Mounting Pressure

Clemson is coming off its worst season since the 2010 season. The Tigers went 7-6 despite being ranked as the preseason No. 4 team in the country and having national championship aspirations. The Tigers also went an abysmal 4-4 in ACC play, tying their worst record since 2010.

The pressure stems from Clemson losing four or more games in three consecutive seasons. The team hasn't done that under Swinney since his first three seasons from 2009-2011. That has led many to question whether the sport has passed Swinney by and whether Clemson remains a legitimate national contender.

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney leads his team on the field before the game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Josh Pate Says the Tigers Are on the Clock

College football analyst Josh Pate discussed the Tigers on his show, "Josh Pate's College Football Show," saying the Tigers are firmly on the clock.

"There's the view that the world has, and then there's the view Dabo Swinney pretty much has," Pate said. "The world view is they talk about the greatness at Clemson in the past tense, at least in terms of accomplishments... Dabo does not feel that way... he articulated that last year was a bump in the road. They've made the necessary changes."

Can Dabo Swinney Adapt?

The reality is that if Swinney can't reverse Clemson's trajectory this season, questions about his long-term future will only intensify. That would have been a wild statement just a few years ago, after the dominant run in the 2010s that saw Clemson win two national championships and have six straight College Football Playoff appearances.

But that's how quickly things can change in college football. One minute you are at a program with what feels like a lifetime contract, and the next you are on the verge of being pushed out the back door.

Swinney has built Clemson up before. When he took over, the Tigers weren't a great program. He built them into that in a few short years.

This season will go a long way in determining Clemson's direction under Swinney. Another disappointing campaign would only reinforce the belief that the Tigers have fallen behind in the NIL and transfer portal era.

But if Clemson rebounds and returns to the College Football Playoff, Swinney will have a chance to prove that last season was truly just a setback, not the beginning of the end of one of college football's most successful coaching tenures.