Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hopes playoff expansion doesn't hurt bowls

CLEMSON — Bowl games seem to have already lost some of their importance, at least to college football players.

Opting out of a bowl game is becoming more and more common, and Clemson had its first opt out this season as Tigers defensive end Myles Murphy sat out for the Orange Bowl against Tennessee.

The College Football Playoff expanding from two teams to four teams seems to have played a role in opt outs expanding in recent years. It seems likely that they could become even more popular for the 2024 season when the playoff expands to 12 teams.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who was against expanding the playoff, is hopeful that bowl games won’t diminish in importance as the playoff expands once again.

“I just think it is what it is. I certainly hope that the bowl games — I know it’s all about the playoff and with the expansion, it’s going to be even more so,” Swinney said. “I certainly hope the bowl games stick around, and there’s certainly some things that the bowl games can do to help, and hopefully that will take place.”

One option bowls could turn to in an effort to incentivize players to play in their bowl game is to give players a financial reward for playing.

Bowls currently give out gifts to bowl participants, but perhaps giving significant amounts of money could do the trick.

Swinney is hopeful that Clemson players will continue to appreciate bowl games, no matter the reward for participating. But he does see ways to improve the bowl experience.

“At the end of the day, things have evolved in college football, and bowl games are a great experience. I mean, it’s an opportunity to go play. There’s 365 days. If everything goes perfect, in our world, you get 15 days to play the game that you love,” Swinney said. “So there’s 350 days… what the heck are you doing? You’re just working and training and grinding. So it’s another day to go play. It’s an opportunity to finish your season. It’s an opportunity to get an unbelievable experience.”

Swinney, who played college football at Alabama, still carries with him memories from his bowl trips with the Crimson Tide.

He made more memories this year with his Clemson team leading up to the Orange Bowl in Miami and hopes Tigers players did as well.

“Having played the game, those are some of my greatest memories and experiences. Just like this [year], those guys out there and having a big time on the beach, they’ll never forget that,” Swinney said. “These are young people; we forget that. So they’ve had a lot of fun.”

In addition to making memories and having fun, bowl games can also provide a big boost for the following year. Swinney is hopeful that will be the case for the 2023 season.

“It’s a chance to develop your team. It’s a chance to finish this season. It’s a chance to develop your team for next year, and it’s a chance for those seniors — not all these guys are going to go play pro ball. It’s a chance for them to go play another game,” Swinney said.

“A lot of them, they’re going to be done, and then if guys don’t want to play, then don’t play and go do whatever you’re going to do. I certainly hope that it’s here to stay for a long time. But there’s lots of things that can, I think, make it better as we move forward.”