The past 25 years of Clemson football have been some of the best in program history.
Actually, the past two decades have placed the Tigers near the top of college football. Although the Tommy Bowden era wasn't as successful as the Dabo Swinney tenure has been, he still managed to finish at least .500 in every season that he was in charge of the program.
Swinney, on the other hand, has recorded 13 seasons of at least 10 wins. He's had at least 11 wins in eight of those seasons and he's had 14-plus four times. He's also won two national titles and nine ACC titles. Dabo has been one of the best head coaches in the sport for the past 15 years and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon.
In fact, he was ranked as one of the top five head coaches in college football since 2000.
The effect he's had on this Clemson football program has been almost immeasurable but put the Tigers back on the map. The Athletic recently ranked the top 25 programs in college football over the past 25 years and Clemson was ranked near the top.
Do you agree with @slmandel's list of the top 25 college football programs of the 2000s? pic.twitter.com/yVgmOTWM52
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 23, 2025
Clemson has been ranked the No. 6 team in college football since 2000 behind only Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, and LSU. This puts Clemson ahead of programs like USC, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Florida State, and Auburn who have all won at least one national title this millennium.
The Tigers probably could be ahead of 1-2 programs ranked in the top five but you can't be too upset with No. 6. A national title in 2025 could bump them into that top-five range.