Game of Thrones characters as College Football programs and figures
Jon Snow
Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow is the ultimate Game of Thrones underdog. Snow was shunned his whole life for being a bastard, unworthy of land or title, and ultimately left with little choice other than taking the black and pledging to defend the wall as a member of the Night’s Watch.
Jon was a natural born leader, though, having grown up under the care of the honorable Ned Stark, ostensibly his father, but eventually revealed to be his uncle. Jon quickly rose up the ranks at Castle Black, becoming the successor to Jeor Mormont as Lord Commander.
He was mutinied, stabbed in the back by his own people for trying to do what he thought was right. He rose from the dead and found his true calling, though, taking his place as the new King of the North.
Along the way, his true identity is revealed, though, and we find out that Jon is actually fire and ice, the trueborn son of a King, and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. He’s also the best hope of defeating the Night King and his army, having killed plenty of white walkers beyond the wall.
Jon is Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. Like Jon, Swinney is no longer an underdog, but a true contender. But he had similar humble beginnings in a small-town in Alabama and a walk-on receiver for the Crimson Tide.
It would be tough to call it a mutiny, but Swinney had his home turn on him in 2000 when he, and the entire coaching staff, were terminated in Tuscaloosa falling a disastrous 3-8 season. Swinney found a new home at Clemson, quickly rising up the ranks and being chosen as its King in 2009 after initially taking over on an interim basis in 2008 following the firing of Tommy Bowden.
The Night King beckons, but Swinney has won several victories in his own right. He’s won two national championships as the head coach of the Tigers, and has brought Clemson to the forefront of the college football world, neck-and-neck with big, bad Alabama.
Swinney and Clemson are the favorites to once again claim the throne in 2019, just as Jon might be the favorite to rule the seven kingdoms at the end of Game of Thrones.