Swinney sends message: Every conference game is a playoff

Heading into Atlanta, Swinney’s message wasn’t about X’s and O’s — it was about mindset.

“External things can’t determine your performance,” he said. “If they do, then you’re always going to be controlled by external things. You’ve got to focus on what you’re doing, one play at a time, and tune all that stuff out.”

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Swinney didn’t sugarcoat the importance of conference games in the new era of tiebreakers and expanded postseason implications.

“The best path is to go win all your conference games. That’s your best path,” Swinney emphasized. “Every conference game has applications. Every week is a season of its own.”

A Playoff Mentality in September

For Swinney, the mentality isn’t about the calendar — it’s about urgency. “Every game in college football today is every week. It’s a season,” he said. “It is. It’s a season of its own.”

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