Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Reaches Rock Bottom After Ugly Loss to Georgia Tech

A fourth loss this season

Clemson’s Saturday defeat to Georgia Tech marked its fourth loss of the season. Georgia Tech had entered the day with two wins and had dismissed four assistant coaches during the season.

It is the fourth consecutive year Clemson has lost at least four games. Another defeat would give the program at least five losses in back-to-back seasons, a stretch last seen in 2009 and 2010, Swinney’s first two years on the job.

From rebuilding to dominance

Swinney took over as Clemson sought to move beyond the mediocrity of the Tommy Bowden era and earlier years. The program later became one of college football’s dominant teams.

From 2015 through 2019, Clemson reached four national championship games in five years and won two of them. The current run of losses marks a sharp contrast with that period.

Challenges in a changing sport

The article links Clemson’s decline to the introduction of name, image and likeness opportunities, known as NIL, and the transfer portal. It says Swinney and Clemson have struggled to adapt to those changes.

It also notes that coaches who have led a team for nearly two decades may find it difficult to adjust as the sport changes. Clemson’s recent results have made that challenge increasingly difficult to overlook.

Results against ranked teams

Clemson is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season. Its losses to LSU and Miami came by an aggregate score of 92-23. The Georgia Tech defeat adds to the team’s season total and comes amid a longer stretch of declining results.