Dabo Swinney Isn’t Worried About Clemson’s Preseason Ranking

Dabo Swinney doesn't sound worried about Clemson's preseason ranking after their disappointing campaign last year.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks during the Clemson football Media Outing & Open House at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex in Clemson, S.C., Tuesday, July 16, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / Staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson is coming off one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory. For many reasons, they enter the year with their lowest preseason ranking in a decade, coming in at No. 14 in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll.

As Clemson and Dabo Swinney learned last season, a preseason ranking doesn't mean anything. It's all about what the team does when it matters most.

The Tigers will be considered a questionable team until they prove otherwise. While their No. 14 ranking seems low, some believe they shouldn't even be that high. Analysts, evaluators, and others are low on Clemson after last year.

Factor that in with Swinney's unwillingness to recruit out of the transfer portal, and there are plenty of reasons to be low on Clemson.

Swinney, however, isn't worried about Clemson's preseason ranking, telling reporters last week that he doesn't pay attention to rankings.

"Man, I don't pay no attention to that stuff,". Swinney said, according to 247 Sports. "I mean, I really don't. Last time we were, so-called outside, what was that? 2015?

"We were 12, went to the national championship, and nobody was writing about all them predictions at that point. 2011, I think we were picked third or fourth in our league, and we won the league. So it's not about what people say, what people predict, what people write; it's about what we do. That stuff never matters."

He added that he's thankful that Clemson is a top-15 team, but "none of this matters."

"I mean, hey, I'm thankful that people see us as a good team," Swinney said. "Ain't nothing shameful about being a preseason top-15 team. I'd rather be that than not be there. I mean, at least people see your program in a good light, but none of that stuff matters."

His comments are the right way to look at things, as every team in the country will have an opportunity to show who they are. The year isn't played on a preseason ranking, and every coach and player in the country understands that.

Clemson will have the best possible test in Week 1, taking on the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. If they go into Atlanta and take a game from Georgia, the conversations surrounding Clemson will change significantly.

They have every opportunity in the world to prove who they are, so it's on them to do just that over the next few months.