Dabo Swinney shares excitement about expanded CFP amid 'weird, weird time in college football'

From 2015-20, Clemson was a fixture in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers played in six straight national semifinal games and made four championships – winning two of them.

While Dabo Swinney’s group missed out on the CFP the last three seasons, there’s a new path starting in 2024. The field is expanding from four teams to 12 with the six highest-ranked conference champions making the cut under the new rules. Of course, there’s also discussion about further expansion.

But to Swinney, the new-look CFP is an exciting change, and he thinks Clemson will be right in the middle of the discussion given its success under the previous model.

“It’s gonna be fun,” Swinney said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “You embrace it. It’s one of those things … things happen. You adapt as you go. We didn’t have a Playoff, and then it was, whatever, BCS. Then, you get the four-team, and now, we’re going to 12 for a cup of coffee and then we’re going somewhere else. It’ll be fun.

“This is a weird, weird time in college football because there’s so many changes at one time. You just put your head down and focus on what you’re doing and making sure that you put yourself in the best possible position to have a chance to make the playoffs. That’s really kind of where you are in this game now. It’s all about trying to have a chance to make the playoffs.”

Dabo Swinney: ‘You get in the playoffs, anything can happen’

Since its last CFP appearance in 2020 – a Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State – Clemson has a 20-8 record and an ACC title. However, last season didn’t go as well as expected. The Tigers saw their 10-win season streak snap as they finished 9-4, including a 4-4 mark in league play.

Despite the struggles, Swinney remains hopeful Clemson will return to the College Football Playoff. Considering the new route to get there, he expects the Tigers to contend once again.

“In the Final Four, I think we had the second-most appearances,” Swinney said. “I think we went six years in a row and got the second-most wins. We’ve proven we can do it with four, so we definitely feel like with 12 or 16 or whatever it’s gonna end up, that we’re a playoff-caliber team. You get in the playoffs, anything can happen.

“We’re excited about the opportunity, and it starts with your path there. It always starts with trying to win your conference. That’s the No. 1 thing, especially with the way they’re making the rules now with the byes and all that type of stuff. It’ll be fun. It’ll be fun to go through this new phase with everybody and see how it all plays out.”