Will Swinney Be Fired If Clemson Loses to UConn

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday that if his team loses Saturday there will be another head coach in Clemson.

Ken Ruinard

The Clemson Tigers have not lived up to the expectations heaped on them in the preseason, and with that comes the naysayers and grumbling from the Monday morning quarterbacks.

Some of the grumblings have been justified, some of it not-so-much. While the fickle fanbase may be looking forward to this week's matchup against UConn, a team that ranks near the bottom of every single NCAA offensive and defensive category, to feel better about the team, head coach Dabo Swinney is worried that if something strange happens this week, and the Tigers lose, a loss that would be the biggest upset arguably in college football history, he could be looking for a new job.

"This is the biggest game of the year. If we lose this game, there will be a new head coach here," Swinney said. DJ is good to go (after suffering a sprained PCL in the Tigers' win at Louisville). It's not anything surgical. He'll be fine. It is what it is. 

"We want to continue to use Taisun Phommachanh and complement the offense, but we're going into all of our games trying to play our best. We have to look at it that way otherwise you send the wrong message to your team."

Everyone that has heard Swinney talk, even for a few seconds, understands that he speaks in hyperbole, exaggeration and a mix of southern jocularity. Which is exactly what that statement was.

Clemson could lose by 45 points Saturday and Swinney will still be the head coach at Clemson for as long as he wants to be. That is what seven conference titles, six straight CFP appearances, four national championship appearance and two national titles earns you—the benefit of the doubt.

So why would Swinney even joke about the fact that his time at Clemson may be coming to an end should the unthinkable happen Saturday? 

Because his young team is not used to winning yet, and every game really is the biggest one of the season for a young group who is looking to continue to build their confidence. 

"For us, it's all about this game and trying to keep building and growing our team. We want to play our best football," Swinney said. "I'm not paying attention to anything other than what we can control because that's a waste of my time. Every game is so important, just critical. You don't get a chance to go back and redo things. You don't control your destiny but we do get a chance to control how we finish. I'm really proud of these guys. I'm so proud of these guys."

For the Tiger fans looking to poo-poo this team, even after a 2-2 start, the Tigers still hold a chance at a return trip to the ACC Championship. FanDuel has increased the Tigers' odds of winning their seventh-straight title to +700.