Dabo Swinney believes winner of Clemson-South Carolina should made CFP

The College Football Playoff doesn’t start for another three weeks, but according to Dabo Swinney, the Clemson vs. South Carolina game on Saturday is really a CFP game.

Swinney appeared on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast ahead of the Palmetto Bowl and shared that in his opinion, the winner of Saturday’s game belongs in the playoff.

“It’s really not complicated. None of it matters. We can make all the case we want, but you’ve gotta win the game this weekend. That’s what we’ve got,” Dabo Swinney said. “This is a playoff game this weekend, I think, for both teams. So I think it’s awesome to be a part of that. I mean it really is.”

Clemson is currently ranked No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, while South Carolina is No. 15. It seems that each team would need some help to reach the playoff, but as Swinney pointed out, the winner of the Palmetto Bowl is adding an impressive victory to its resume.

For Clemson, the Tigers have a chance to knock off one of the hottest teams in the country as South Carolina has won five straight games. Meanwhile the Gamecocks have an opportunity to beat a Clemson team on the road that is 9-2 on the season and ranked No. 12.

“We’re 9-2, so we’ve got seven power conference wins. I think that’s like fourth in the nation. And then of those power conference wins, six of them were double digits. That’s tied for first in the nation. I think we’ve got one of the best offenses in the country. We’ve got a quarterback playing at a high level that’s incredibly capable,” Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve got a Butkus finalist on defense. We’re a good football team. We’re not perfect. We’re flawed like everybody else. I mean everybody has some flaws. But we’re a team that can, I think, play with anybody in the country.

“So there’s a lot of reasons, but the main reason would be win this week. We’ve got that opportunity. And quite frankly, I think so does South Carolina. So this is a top-15 matchup, and it would be, I don’t know, one of the best wins in the country on anybody’s resume when you look at it.”