Dabo Swinney Says Georgia Bulldogs Opener is ‘Big Deal’ for Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers are looking to do something to a preseason No. 1 for the first time in more than 30 years.

Aug 6, 2024; Pickens County, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach football Dabo Swinney talks with media in the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson. / Ken Ruinard / USA Today Sports Images

Clemson Tigers football coach Dabo Swinney spoke with reporters during a Q&A for the AFLAC Kickoff game against Georgia next Saturday.

The No. 14 Tigers will face the No. 1 Bulldogs in Atlanta in the season opener for both teams. Swinney came armed with some wit, and a stat that needed a little fact-checking.

“I don’t think a preseason No. 1 has lost an opener since 1990,” Swinney said.

Swinney was correct, assuming one doesn’t want to dig through 35 years of preseasons AP polls. But in the year he referenced, Miami (FL) was the nation’s No. 1 team in the preseason AP poll. The Hurricanes opened the season at No. 16 BYU and lost, 28-21, en route to a 10-2 season that finished with a No. 4 ranking in the final poll.

The reference to 1990 was an obvious one. The Tigers will get their shot to do what BYU did when they face the Bulldogs, who have won two of the last three national champions and to many are the favorite to make it three out of four years.

Winning the opener is big out of the gate, Swinney said. But, when you’re facing the team considered the best in the country, it takes on just a bit more meaning.

“It would be obviously huge for our players and put a lot of wind in your sails early on, certainly for our fans,” Swinney said. “And then it's Clemson-Georgia and all the rivalry stuff that goes with that, so it's a big deal no doubt about it.”

Historically, the rivalry is relatively one-sided, with Georgia leading, 43-18-4. The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings, with the most recent in 2021 in Charlotte, with Georgia winning, 10-3. This will be the first time the two teams have met in Atlanta, which is about 90 minutes from Georgia’s home in Athens.

The Tigers are coming off a 9-4 season that saw them miss the ACC title game. In fact, Clemson hasn’t been to the College Football Playoff since 2020 and Swinney is hoping to take a claim in the expanded playoff, which features 12 teams for the first time.

That’s why Swinney is trying to strike a balance between what he knows is a big game and what he knows is a long season ahead.

“They're not going to give us a national championship trophy and if we win the game,” Swinney said.

He also referenced Clemson’s next opponent, Appalachian State, a strong Group of 5 program that has upset power conference teams, most notably Michigan.

“You better move on quick because you get exposed as you go through your schedule because every week has to be the biggest game of the year. That just has to be a mindset,” he said.