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Clemson Football: Ranking all 11 seasons of the Dabo Swinney era

By Shawn Spencer

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 29: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greets fans during the Tiger Walk prior to the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Memorial Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 29: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greets fans during the Tiger Walk prior to the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Memorial Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 11: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Clemson Tigers reacts after being defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide with a score of 45 to 40 in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 11: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Clemson Tigers reacts after being defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide with a score of 45 to 40 in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

3. 2015 (Reaching new Heights)

Record: 14-1

Notable Games:

  • 24-22 win vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
  • 23-13 win vs. No. 17 Florida State
  • 37-32 win at South Carolina
  • 45-37 win vs. No. 8 UNC in ACC Championship
  • 37-17 win vs. No. 4 Oklahoma in CFB Playoff
  • 45-40 loss to Alabama in National Championship

One could certainly make the argument that the 2019 season should be ahead of the 2015 season, but I think there’s something to be said for what that team did and what the newness of being on the big stage felt like to Clemson football fans.

It was absolutely surreal.

Clemson recorded several wins over top-25 opponents- including a rain-soaked win over Notre Dame- and finished the season undefeated. The Tigers blew out Oklahoma in their first-ever CFB Playoff game and gave Alabama everything it could handle in the National Championship.

Fans were confident Deshaun Watson and the rest of the Tigers would be back the following season and the game gave fans a sense of security that this program wasn’t going to just be a ‘one-hit-wonder.’

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