Clemson’s 10 Best Wins in Dabo Swinney Era

Under Dabo Swinney, Tigers have knocked off some of the biggest names and teams in college football

Dabo Swinney reached 150 career wins in 14 and a half seasons as Clemson’s head coach. He is already second in Clemson history in career wins and needs just 15 to tie the Legend, Frank Howard, for first place.

Over the years, Swinney has knocked off some of the biggest names and teams in college football. He has guided the Tigers to seven ACC Championships, six appearances in the College Football Playoff, four appearances in the national championship game and two national championships.

Below is a list of the 10 best wins in the Dabo Swinney era.

Clemson stuns No. 6 Notre Dame

Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware celebrates after the Tigers' defense stopped Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise (20) for a loss during the first quarter on October 3, 2015 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. (Bart Boatwright / USA TODAY Sports)

10: October 3, 2015, Notre Dame at Clemson: Clemson defeated sixth-ranked Notre Dame in the first meeting between the two teams since 1979. In a torrential downpour, the Tigers jumped out to a big lead and escaped with a 24-22 win in the final seconds as Carlos Watkins led a host of tacklers that stopped the Fighting Irish’s two-point try with seven seconds left to play in the game. The win over the Irish catapulted the Tigers into the top 10 with a No. 6 ranking the following week.

Tigers knock off No. 8 Miami

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, center, hugs team administrator Woody McCorvey, left, and assistant coach Danny Pearman, right, after the Tigers beat Miami 40-37 in overtime in 2009. (USA TODAY Sports)

9. October 24, 2009, Clemson at Miami: On third-and-11 in overtime, quarterback Kyle Parker hit Jacoby Ford on a 26- yard touchdown pass to lift Clemson to a 40-37 victory at No. 8 Miami. At the time, it tied for the highest-ranked team Clemson defeated on the road in school history. Running back C.J. Spiller, playing in front of his father for the first time as a Tiger, gained 310 all-purpose yards to establish a school-record. DeAndre McDaniel was named national defensive player-of-the-week for his two interceptions, including one that he returned 23 yards for a score. There were nine lead changes in the game, as neither team scored twice in a row.

2011 ACC Champions

Clemson's Dabo Swinney and players celebrate on the podium with the ACC Championship trophy after the game. The Tigers defeated the No. 5 Hokies 38-10 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte to capture first league title in 20 years.(Bob Donnan / USA TODAY Sports)

8. December 3, 2011, ACC Championship Game: Clemson won its first ACC title in 20 years with a 38-10 win over Virginia Tech in Charlotte. Virginia Tech was ranked No. 3 in the nation in the coaches’ poll and the win tied for the highest-ranked team Clemson beat in its history at the time. Tajh Boyd was named MVP, as he completed 20-of-29 passes for 240 yards and three scores. The win clinched Clemson’s first Orange Bowl berth in 30 years, but more importantly it got Clemson over the hump and back on top of the ACC. The Tigers have won five ACC Championships since then. It was also their 10th victory that night, ending a 21-year drought in that category. Clemson has won at least 10 games every year since.

Marcus Edmonds saves the day

Clemson cornerback Marcus Edmond (29) knocks Louisville wide receiver James Quick (17) out of bounds on fourth down during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. Clemson won 42-36. (Joshua S. Kelly / USA TODAY Sports)

7. October 1, 2016, Louisville at Clemson: Clemson wins a meeting of top five teams at Death Valley. The game would prove to be a meeting of the top two contenders for the Heisman trophy as Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson took their teams up and down the field. But the game’s biggest play proved to be a tackle at the two-yard line by Clemson’s Marcus Edmond in the final seconds of a 42-36 Clemson victory.

Watson and Tigers run all over No. 4 Oklahoma

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) jumps over Oklahoma safety Ahmad Thomas (13) for a second quarter touchdown in the 2016 CFP Semifinal Game in the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. (Kim Klement /USA TODAY Sports)

6. December 31, 2015, Orange Bowl: In Clemson’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff, No. 1 Clemson outscored No. 4 Oklahoma 21-0 in the second half for a 37-17 victory. With the win, the Tigers advanced to play Alabama in the national championship game, a first for the program in 34 years. Kevin Dodd added 3.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, as Clemson held the Sooners to 67 rushing yards on 40 attempts. Quarterback Deshaun Watson finished 16-for-31 for 187 yards and a touchdown, but he had 145 rushing yards and 332 yards of total offense.

Catanzaro's last-second kick beats No. 9 LSU

Clemson place kicker Chandler Catanzaro (39) is carried off the field after kicking a 32-yard game-winning field goal as time expired for a 25-24 victory over LSU in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl on December 31, 2012 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. (Bart Boatwright/USA TODAY Sports)

5. December 31, 2012, Chick-fil-A Bowl: Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Clemson a 25-24 win over No. 9 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The ACC Tigers trailed 24-13 entering the fourth quarter but scored the final 12 points for the dramatic victory. It was Clemson’s 11th win of the season, its highest total, at the time, since its National Championship season of 1981, and gave the Tigers a final USA Today ranking of No. 9. The winning drive was kept alive when Deandre Hopkins made a sliding 26-yard catch of a Tajh Boyd pass on fourth-and-16 from the Clemson 14-yard line.

Nolan Turner saves the day

Clemson safety Nolan Turner intercepts a pass from Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields during the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl of the College Football Playoffs semifinal game, in Glendale, Arizona Saturday, December 28, 2019. (Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Sports)

4. December 28, 2019, Fiesta Bowl: Clemson advanced to its fourth national championship game in five years in thrilling fashion, overcoming an early 16-0 deficit to defeat Ohio State 29-23 in the Fiesta Bowl. The 16-point comeback was Clemson fifth-largest comeback in school history, a win it secured when safety Nolan Turner recorded the Tigers’ second interception off Ohio State's Justin Fields in the end zone with 37 seconds to play.

Swinney secures Clemson's head job by beating the Gamecocks

Then Clemson interim head coach Dabo Swinney is carried off the field by Thomas Austin (65), left, and Tyler Grisham (13) after the Tigers' 31-14 win over South Carolina Saturday, November 29, 2008 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. (Bart Boatwright / USA TODAY Sports)

3. November 29, 2008, South Carolina at Clemson: Clemson defeated South Carolina, 31-14. It was the Tigers 10th win in 12 years over the Gamecocks at the time. It was also a win that secured then athletic director Terry Don Phillips’ decision to hire Dabo Swinney as head coach. Clemson finished the 2008 regular season with four wins in its last five games to become bowl eligible for a 10th straight year. Swinney was the first interim head coach in college football history to take over a program at midseason and lead his squad to a bowl game. On December 1, 2008, the interim tag was removed from Swinney’s title and he was named the head coach of the Tigers.

Clemson rips apart Crimson Tide in National Championship Game

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) passes against Alabama in the second half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Lawrence completed 20-of-32 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the Tigers' 44-16 victory. (Mickey Welsh / USA Today Sports)

2. January 7, 2019, CFP National Championship, Clemson vs. Alabama: Trevor Lawrence became the first freshman since 1985 to lead his team to a national championship thanks to Clemson’s 44-16 win over Alabama. Lawrence played a big role in why the Tigers dominated the Crimson Tide like they did. He completed 20-of-32 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors. The win was historic because of the nature in which the Tigers beat ‘Bama and because it clinched a 15-0 perfect season, the first in major college football since 1897.

Clemson wins first national championship in 35 years

Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) scores the game-winning with one second to play in the Tigers' 35-31 win over No. 1 Alabama n the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports)

1. January 9, 2017, CFP National Championship, Clemson vs. Alabama: Clemson wins its second national title in history and first in 35 years with a 35-31 victory over No. 1 Alabama, who had entered the game with a 26-game winning streak. Hunter Renfrow scored the winning touchdown with just one second remaining on a two-yard pass from Deshaun Watson. It was Clemson’s first win over a No. 1 ranked team. The Tigers rallied from a 14-0 deficit to knock off the Crimson Tide. It marked the first time Alabama head coach Nick Saban lost in a national championship game.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Clemson is a double-digit favorite against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and NC State. 

--Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story