Dabo Swinney: ‘Why can’t we be the hottest team in America?’

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney knows how it looks right now for his team. At the same time, he also isn’t giving up on this season.

Amid a 1-3 start to this season and coming off of a bye, Swinney addressed where his focus is at heading into Week 6 against North Carolina. He admitted he would like to “forget” the first month of the season but added that it doesn’t change his belief that the Tigers can win moving forward.

“We got eight games,” the coach said. “We got a long way to go. Why can’t we be the hottest team in America? Why not? There ain’t no quit. We’ve got a long way to go. We’re just getting to October. September was, oh boy, I want to forget that one. It was a rough start, but we’ve got a long way to go.

“There’s a lot of opportunity out there for everybody. So let’s go compete our butts off and see if we can win a game and just create a little bit of momentum.”

Saturday’s contest against the Tar Heels could be just the opportunity Clemson needs to get back on track. Sure, UNC brought in legendary coach Bill Belichick this offseason, but it hasn’t looked great so far and lost 34-9 against UCF two weeks ago.

Clemson has left a lot to be desired offensively so far with just 19.8 points per game, which ranks 116th in the country. Perhaps this can be a chance to get quarterback Cade Klubnik, who has thrown six touchdowns and four interceptions through the first four games, going.

Either way, the pressure is on Swinney and the Tigers, who have fallen out of the AP Poll completely after starting the season at No. 4. Now fans are beginning to grow restless, meaning this week’s bout against the Tar Heels is a big one in potentially turning this season around. If it doesn’t come then, one has to wonder whether it ever will.

Dabo Swinney defends his job using past success Clemson has had

Swinney of course has enjoyed plenty of success over the years. He has won nine ACC Championships, with the most recent coming last season.

He has also made seven appearances in the College Football Playoff with two national championships. After last week’s loss to Georgia Tech, the coach tried to argue that should be enough for the fans to still have faith in him even amid this season’s struggles.

“I thrive in the battle, honestly. I have my whole life,” Swinney said. “Perspective is important. If they want me gone, they can send me on my way. If they’re tired of winning, they can send me on my way. I won’t stop. I’m 55. I’ll go somewhere else and win. I ain’t going to the beach.

“We’ve won this league eight of the last 10 years. Is that good? I’ve got a long memory in case y’all don’t know. This is a program that’s built to last. If you don’t believe in us after we lost just two games, you weren’t all in anyway. Hate to disappoint all the haters out there, but I have a long way to go, boys.”