Dabo Swinney downplays need for Playoff expansion: ‘Every game has been a playoff game to get to this point’
Published:
One of the main arguments against expanding the current four-team Playoff in college football is the fact it would potentially ruin what makes the sport so special — it’s the only sport in which every regular season moment is truly important.
Why didn’t Georgia get into the Playoff this season? Many will tell you Kirby Smart’s program blew it by losing by 20 to LSU back in mid-October. Bad regular season losses to Purdue and Iowa have doomed Ohio State in recent seasons. Those are just a few of the many examples that prove the regular season remains so important in determining the annual champion of the sport.
Dabo Swinney clearly is among those that buy into this argument as the Clemson coach touched on the subject Sunday during the final press availability leading up to the national championship game when asked about his program’s continued success, which has seen the Tigers reach the College Football Playoff for four consecutive seasons.
“Well, I think a couple things. One, we’re the same. There’s a winning performance at every position. We’re not asking them to be perfect, but there is a winning performance at each position,” Swinney answered. “If you’re a wideout, that winning grade for us is 85 percent. If you’re a linebacker, it’s 80 percent. If you’re a D-lineman, it’s 75 — we have a grade. We make a big deal out of that. It’s not who we play, it’s how we play, and that’s what we talk about.
“And then the other thing is, so accountability to that winning performance, number one, and then the other thing is we make every game the biggest game of the year. People don’t like to hear that during the week, but if you don’t have that mindset, then that creeps in. Fans have that mindset. They look at the schedule and they go, oh, well, you’re playing Eastaboga State this week, well, now we don’t have to practice hard. Oh, we’re playing Alabama this week, okay, let’s really meet, let’s really practice hard.”
After explaining his program’s grading scale and the accountability that has led to so much success, Swinney then shared his thoughts on why he believes college football should not expand beyond the current four-team Playoff format.
“Everybody wants to expand these playoffs. We’ve had a playoff since September. Every game has been a playoff game to get to this point. Every game. If we’d have lost to whoever, we’re probably not here. If we had lost to Pitt in the ACC Championship, we’re not here. If we had lost to South Carolina we’re not here. Every game is a playoff game,” Swinney said.
“And so for our team, we truly create that focus and that standard of performance and guys taking pride. It doesn’t matter who we play; how did you play? And we have a grade and accountability, and so now all of a sudden you don’t really get caught up in the logo of the team that you’re playing. You just try to play the very best that you can.
“And so when you get in these moments, whether it’s a huge game late in the season, both teams are undefeated, a lot on the line, whatever, it’s just the next big moment, because every week has been a huge moment. So that’s a mindset that you have to create, and you’ve got to get the young people to buy into and the coaches to buy into, and that tone is set from the head coach. And I think that’s one of the things that Alabama has certainly done, because you’re going to get everybody’s best every week. So if you don’t show up with that mindset, you’re inconsistent.
“I think however we do it, that’s what’s created the consistency in our programs for sure.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
