Swinney ‘Thankful People see us as a good team’

CLEMSON – When the Associated Press released its top 25 preseason poll earlier this week, the writers had Clemson ranked No. 14 in the poll.

Why is that a big deal?

It marks the first time since 2015, the Tigers will start a season ranked outside the top 10 in the AP Poll.

“I do not pay attention to that stuff, I really don’t,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Or does he?

“The last time we were outside the top was in ’15 when we were 12 ^th . We went on to the national championship [game] and nobody was writing about those predictions at that point,” Swinney said.

Swinney was right. Clemson did start the 2015 season ranked No. 12 and then proceeded to win its first 14 games on its way to playing Alabama in the second ever College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

The Tigers ended up losing that game, 45-40, but it set the table for what became one of the greatest runs in college football history.

Can Clemson repeat history this year?

“In 2011, we were picked third or fourth in our league and we won the league. It is not about what people say, what people predict or what people write. It’s about what we do,” Swinney said. “That stuff never matters.

“I am thankful people see us as a good team. There is nothing shameful about being a top 15 team. I rather be there than not be there. At least people see your program in a good light.”

Since 2016, Clemson opened the season no worse than No. 9 and that came last season. From 2016-’23, the Tigers were in the preseason top five every year.

“None of that stuff matters. You can look at the preseason top 25 every single year and there are usually five, six, seven of them that are not even ranked at the end of the season,” Swinney said. “But nobody comes back and takes ownership of their great predictions or prognostications they had before the season.”

Clemson finished last year ranked No. 20 in the final AP Poll. It was the Tigers’ lowest final ranking since they finished No. 15 in the final 2014 poll.

The Tigers have finished ranked in the final AP Poll every year since 2011.