Dabo Swinney Reveals Why Clemson Is Playing Georgia to Start 2024 Campaign

The Clemson Tigers will be challenged out of the gate against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks with Clemson kicker Robert Gunn III (38) during the Spring football game in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, April 6, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Clemson Tigers will start the 2024 football season against the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, a strong test out of the gate. Not only should this be a good indication of where Clemson is as a team in Week 1, but it could also help them make the College Football Playoff later in the year.

While it could also come back to hurt them, there will be multiple teams with one loss in the CFP. For more reasons than not, starting the year against Georgia is something that makes sense from Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.

Neither team will be as good as they'll be throughout the season, but it's an exciting contest and one that players on both sides should get up for.

Swinney believes there are advantages to playing them, as the team will get exposed to playoff football right away, according to Will Vanderbort of The Clemson Insider.

“The advantage is if you win it,” Swinney said. “Other than that, I think you get exposed to playoff football right out of the gate. That is really what it is. It is that caliber of football.

“Both teams get better as you go through the course of the season, but there is an edge to it for sure.”

The only possible downside for Clemson in this scenario is if they go on the road to Georgia and don't compete. If Georgia wins by four-plus touchdowns, there might be an argument against them come selection time.

The ACC poses challenges, but outside of their game on October 5 against Florida State, there's a chance that Georgia is the only ranked program they play all season. If the committee doesn't believe they have a strong enough resume, they could be penalized.

Still, in a scenario where they only lost to Georgia and FSU, there's still a way for them to make the playoffs. And win or lose, as long as they compete, that's more impressive than beating a random school in Week 1.

“What it all comes down to in the end, like in basketball when they are talking about the tournament, because we have created a tournament, if you will, so that strength of schedule will be important,” he said.

After the 2023-24 campaign, Clemson could use a big win to set the tone. Cade Klubnik coming out and showing who he is would be a very welcoming sight for Clemson fans.