Booger McFarland: Swinney has to ‘Play This Underdog Card Really Hard’

On the Always College Football show, ESPN analysts Greg McElroy and Booger McFarland discussed potential narratives after Week 1 and what people could be saying after the games.

One of the marquee games that McElroy and McFarland chimed in on is 14 ^th -ranked Clemson’s matchup vs. No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday (12 p.m., ABC).

The Bulldogs are the heavy favorite, and McElroy asked McFarland what he thinks the reaction will be if the Tigers lose the game convincingly.

McFarland says nobody will be surprised if Georgia wins big.

“Well, I think it’s going to be more about Georgia than it is about Clemson, to be honest with you,” McFarland said. “Because I think if Georgia comes out and Georgia dominates this game, I think we’re all going to say, ‘OK, Georgia is who we thought they were,’ which was the best team in the country, led by Carson Beck. We know that Kirby (Smart) just plugs and plays and reloads down there in Athens.”

But, what if Clemson wins?

And what would McFarland’s message to the Tigers be going into the game, if he were in Dabo Swinney’s shoes?

“I think the narrative could flip,” McFarland said. “If you’re Clemson, I don’t think you really have anything to lose in this game. Because people are looking at you saying OK, ‘Are you on the level of Georgia right now?’ Most people would say no, and if you’re Dabo, I think you gotta go in and you’ve got to play this underdog card really hard.

“You gotta tell your guys, ‘Hey guys, nobody’s giving us a chance in this game. Nobody respects us. They say we can’t do it. I got news for you. We’re who Georgia is now. We used to be that team. We were the bullies on the block that stepped up and locked horns with Alabama, went toe to toe and beat them.’ I think if you’re Dabo, that’s the role that you’ve got to play, and almost go into this game saying ‘we got nothing to lose.’ And I think they’re going to play that way.”

McFarland added that Clemson’s defense will give the Tigers a chance to stay in the game, and it will come down to how their offense performs.

“That’s an offense that really hasn’t shown much life the last couple years consistently,” McFarland said. “Where is the offensive continuity going to be, can they get the quarterback to play at a high level, can they get some fluidity and consistency with this offense? Because you know what Georgia’s going to be. Georgia’s going to be physical, they’re going to dial up some shot plays with Carson Beck, and the defense is going to be nasty. Like, we know what Georgia is. We really don’t know what Clemson’s going to be on the offensive side of the football.”

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