Swinney Not Disappointed In Revamped Schedule

After more than a century of playing one another on the football field, Clemson and South Carolina will ot face one another in 2020. On Thursday, Dabo Swinney talked about his feeling surrounding the controversial decision.

Nothing has been unaffected by the ongoing pandemic. It has touched everything in some way or another, and the sport of college football has been no exception.

The Clemson and South Carolina football programs have been playing football every season for more than a century. In fact, it is college football's second-longest-running rivalry series behind Minnesota and Wisconsin.

However, this season, the game known as the Palmetto Bowl will not be played.

When the ACC announced last week that its new schedule format would allow for one out-of-conference game, it was widely assumed the annual match-up between the two teams was safe. The very next day though, the SEC would put the nail in the coffin when it was announced they would be playing a conference-only schedule. 

It was a decision that left fans of both fan bases experiencing a range of emotions. From anger to sadness, it had an effect of some kind on each and every Clemson and South Carolina fan. 

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is taking a different approach, though. Instead of worrying about things he can not control, he chooses to focus on what actually lies ahead. 

"I am disappointed that we weren't able to play South Carolina because I know how important that is to both fan bases," Swinney said. "That is a disappointment, but it is something that Will (Muschamp) and I have no control over. So all we can do is get our teams ready and do the best we can."

In fact, Swinney insists he is thoroughly satisfied with what the ACC has done. After a lot of discussion over the past few months, Swinney is glad there is now a plan in place, and he doesn't care who they are playing.

"I'm not disappointed in anything in regards to what they did schedule-wise," Swinney said. "I'm just thankful we got a schedule. My mentality has always been we'll play, spot the ball, my job is to get us ready."

"Far as what the league did, I think the league has done a great job. I have been on a million-jillion calls since March. Committees, subcommittees, all that stuff, and I am real thankful for just having the opportunity."