Dabo Swinney jokes he will 'ride off into the sunset' with win over Nick Saban

Dabo Swinney and Clemson had some all-time great battles against Nick Saban and Alabama in the College Football Playoff.

From the 2015 season through the 2018 season, the two teams met all four years, splitting the four matchups.

Dabo Swinney got the last laugh, earning a 44-16 win over the Crimson Tide in the 2018 national championship game. Swinney was asked during a press conference on Tuesday for his thoughts on Nick Saban retiring and what college football will be like without him. Swinney is thankful he was able to earn a win against the college football legend in their final meeting.

“Well, it’s good to know that he’s not going to get a rematch for that last one. He’s going to have to live with that one,” Dabo Swinney said. “Because chances are if he did, he’d probably get some get back. So I can ride off into the sunset with that. We’ll just have to end it right there.”

Alabama beat Clemson for the 2015 national title, before the Tigers earned revenge in the 2016 national championship game. Alabama then beat Clemson in a 2017 College Football Playoff semifinal game, before the Tigers trounced Saban and the Crimson Tide to win the 2018 national title.

The two teams have not played since, though, and are not scheduled to face off in the regular season in the future.

“We played every year it seemed like for a while there, and we just haven’t played since January of ‘19. It just hasn’t worked out for them or us,” Swinney said. “Because, again, he’s the best to ever do it. And chances are if you meet up with him, you’re not going to win many of them. So I’m thankful that we were able to finish it the way we did in that last one.”

Nick Saban retired at the conclusion of the 2023 season after leading Alabama to the College Football Playoff in his final year. He is currently working for ESPN. Saban is attending SEC Media Days this week and will be on ESPN College GameDay throughout the 2024 season.

Swinney is thankful for everything Saban has done for the game of college football and expects him to continue to contribute in a positive manner in the future.

“He’s going to be great for college football. He’s been great for college football. He’s going to continue to be great for college football. He’ll continue to be great for Alabama,” Swinney said. “He certainly has spent his longest professional tenure there and has created deep roots in Tuscaloosa and has served that community. It’ll be fun to see him in a different role. He’ll bring, I think, a lot of expertise and a lot of insight that only he can bring in that setting he’s a part of. So it should be fun.”