Clemson, One of the Great Dynasties in College Football

And it’s One No One Really Talks About

When you think of the great dynasties in college football, you think of Bear Bryant’s Alabama teams.

You think of Ohio State under Woody Hayes, Michigan under Bo Schembechler, Notre Dame under Knute Rockne or Ara Parseghian, Nebraska under Tom Osborne, Oklahoma under Bud Wilkinson or Barry Switzer, Penn State’s Joe Paterno squads, Miami’s powerhouse teams from the 1980s through the early 2000s, Bobby Bowden’s Florida State, Steve Spurrier’s Florida, John McKay’s or Pete Carroll’s Southern Cal teams or Darrell Royal and Texas.

Those are some of the greatest teams in college football history, as each had a decade or more of success under Hall of Fame head coaches.

Quietly in the Upstate of South Carolina, Dabo Swinney has put together one of the greatest runs that either rivals or surpasses some of those great programs. I say quietly, because outside of the state of South Carolina, no one has really paid attention to what Swinney’s Clemson teams have done over the last 11 seasons.

Sure, college football fans and media know what the Tigers have done, but they have not really thought about the historical aspect of what they have accomplished. Granted, it is not their fault, either.

There is this coach named Nick Saban that has bested all of Bear Bryant’s records at Alabama. In fact, on Jan. 10, he will have an opportunity to pass Bear Bryant with a seventh national championship for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama has also played for the national championship two other times under Saban’s watch and has tied Bowden’s Florida State teams with 14 consecutive 10-plus win seasons.

The Crimson Tide’s current run is arguably the greatest in the history of college football. And that is why no one, outside of Clemson, is really talking about the Tigers’ historical run over the last 11 seasons.

Since the start of the 2011 football season, Clemson has posted a 131-21 record. For those doing the math, that is an 86.2-win percentage.

But the Tigers have just not won a lot of football games, they have won championships, too. During this stretch, Clemson has won two National Championships, played for the national title four times, made six College Football Playoff appearances, won seven ACC Championships, and recorded 11 straight 10-plus win seasons.

Clemson's 11-straight 10-plus win seasons ranks third all-time in the history of college football, only behind FSU's 14-year run from 1987-2000 and Alabama's current 14-year run from 2008-'21.

And though some like to say Clemson has not played anyone, the Tigers have won their fair share of big-time games. Remember, the Tigers are the only team to take down Saban in a national championship game and they did it twice.

Overall, Clemson is 33-16 against Associated Press Top 25 competition during this current run. It is 16-10 against AP Top 10 squads and 10-9 vs. AP Top 5 teams.

Amongst those wins over AP-ranked opponents, the Tigers are 3-0 vs. ranked Auburn teams (4-0 overall); 1-0 vs. a ranked Oklahoma team (2-0 overall); 1-0 vs. a ranked Texas A&M team (2-0 overall); 3-1 vs. ranked Notre Dame teams; 3-1 vs. ranked Ohio State teams; 2-2 vs. ranked Alabama teams (2-1 in national championship games); 1-1 vs. ranked LSU teams; and 1-2 vs. ranked Georgia teams.

The Tigers are also 3-3 vs. ranked FSU teams. Clemson also has a top 5 win over Virginia Tech, a top 10 win over North Carolina, a top 5 win over Louisville and a top 10 win over Miami during this same stretch.

Clemson is 10-5 in bowl games since 2011, including a 2-2 record in the national championship game, which the NCAA recognizes as a bowl game.

Also, during this time, no one has been better than Clemson when it plays at Death Valley. Since 2011, the Tigers are 72-3 at Memorial Stadium, including a 34-game winning streak, which is currently the longest active home winning streak in the country.

Clemson has been so dominant, it has won 55 of its last 56 home games, dating back to November 14, 2013.

The accolades do not end there. In the middle of this current run, from 2015-'20, Clemson had the 5th longest streak of finishing in the AP Top 5 in the poll's history, which dates back to 1936. That was a streak of six consecutive seasons finishing in the top 5.

Again, in the middle of this current run, from 2017-'21, Clemson had a streak of 57 consecutive weeks ranked inside the AP Top 5. That is the second longest streak in the history of the AP Poll era.

Clemson also had a streak of 96 consecutive weeks (2015-'21) ranked inside the AP Top 10, which is the fourth longest streak in the history of the AP Poll and thanks to its win over Iowa State last Wednesday in the Cheez-It Bowl, Clemson is guaranteed to finish ranked in the final AP Poll for an 11th consecutive season.

So, there you have it. Clemson’s current 11-year run, which Swinney vows is not over, is one of the greatest dynasties in college football history. Unfortunately, as of right now, not too many people recognize it as such.