Clemson football: Dabo Swinney is entering dangerous territory

Clemsoning was a term that Clemson football fans knew all about before Dabo Swinney. It was a term used to refer to the program that always seemed to lose big games and crumble on a national stage. But Swinney changed that.

The Tigers won a couple of national titles under Swinney and the program was on top of college football from 2015-2020. Heck, Clemson even won 11 games a year ago.

But something seemed to happen after the 2020 season. The Tigers went from national title contenders to ACC contenders and now Clemson is sitting at 4-4 on the season after another tough loss, this time on the road against a mediocre NC State team.

Swinney is staring down the barrel at a .500 season for the first time since 2010 which was his third season with the Tigers.

The Tigers are entering dangerous territory after going 15-7 over the past two seasons and losing at least three games for a third straight season. Swinney had three-plus losses in a single season just once in the previous nine years.

Clemson is in danger of fading into irrelevance.

Is Clemson football in trouble?

The Tigers have now lost four games this season which is the most in a single year since 2011 when Clemson went 11-4 with an Orange Bowl berth. This year feels much more like a loss.

Plus, this was supposed to be the comeback season for Clemson after a couple of disappointing years in a row after Trevor Lawrence left the program for the NFL. DJ Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State and Cade Klubnik was supposed to be the answer. He hasn’t been so far.

Now Clemson is out of the ACC title race and potentially fighting for a bowl berth in the final four games of the season.

Clemson is in a dangerous spot under Swinney.

If he can’t make a bowl this season and he hovers around .500 or just above next year, would it be time to cut ties with the one-time top-three college football coach? It’s hard to say, but it feels like this is the beginning of the end.

Swinney needs to make sure things turn around quickly.