Right now, it might seem silly, but Dabo Swinney could be going down the same path as Mike Gundy. He has been a fixture at Clemson for quite some time and the days of Tommy Bowden before him seems like an eternity ago. Similar to Gundy, Dabo has a strong personality which loses it's charm when things aren't going smoothly. We've seen him have a few outbreaks after losses in the past and he's already had two breakdowns this season after losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
He came into this season with huge expectations where many considered them a favorite to win a national championship. Now sitting 1-3 on the season everybody is trying to figure out what has gone wrong. Not only is it unlikely that the Tigers will make this year's playoff, but on top of that even playing for an ACC Championship seems a little outlandish.
This is in a way similar to Oklahoma State who came into the 2024 season with high expectations and had the worst season in Gundy's tenure in Stillwater. After how last year's season went for the Pokes and how this year began that a change was necessary.
It hasn't gotten that bleak in Clemson as of yet, but as bad as September has been for Swinney's team there is a chance things cold spiral out of control. The schedule looks a little daunting with upcoming games against SMU, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, and of course in-state rival South Carolina at the end of the season. If they don't turn things around in October and November it might start getting uncomfortable for Dabo.
Swinney hasn't exactly embraced the new world of college football and many feel that will be his ultimate downfall. We've seen it with Mike Gundy and though the leash is much longer now for him as of now, if things continue to snowball that leash really begins to shorten. It doesn't help him at all that the ACC might be tougher than ever which includes the reemergence of the Seminoles as a power. It will be interesting to see if the ship can be righted or if the train is too far off the tracks for the Tigers to salvage what has been one of the most disappointing starts in the country.
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