ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 13: Florida State flirts with bottom
By Dante Pryor
2. Clemson Tigers (7-1, 6-1)
Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney is really digging in about this Florida State game. He is convinced Florida State is ducking his Tigers. If they are, so what? Clemson dominates the game anyway. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell has said that his Seminoles were not ducking the Tigers. They were concerned for player safety.
Norvell said that he is not willing to put any of his players in jeopardy. Not only does Norvell want to play the Tigers, the first-year head coach is willing to make a contribution to help pay for the Tigers to come back to Tallahassee. Swinney was having none of that. The multi-time national championship winner jabbed back at the instability of FSU’s football program.
It is fascinating that this is the hill Swinney is choosing to die on. If neither team can agree when to make up the game, Clemson likely still plays Notre Dame for the ACC championship and Florida State is still searching for their quarterback of the future. These are the moments where Dabo looks less and less likable.
The Tigers really don’t need this game; the optics aren’t great, but neither is taking a player who is symptomatic.