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Dabo Swinney says Clemson will celebrate with Fran Brown if Tigers win title
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Dabo Swinney takes his words seriously because the Clemson head coach often says exactly what’s on his mind. Or, in this case, in his heart.
Last Saturday, Swinney’s Tigers lost a heartbreaking game to rival South Carolina, at Death Valley, and it could’ve been a really sour ending to a pretty good regular season. Then fate intervened about 850 miles to the north, where Syracuse stunned Miami by rallying from a 21-0 deficit to beat the Hurricanes and put Swinney’s team into the ACC Championship Game.
And suddenly, the last Saturday of the regular season was pretty darn good for Swinney and his program.
The 9-3 Tigers will face 11-1 SMU for the ACC title on Saturday night in Charlotte, with the kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. And since Clemson is only playing for that crown because of the resilience of Fran Brown’s Syracuse team, Swinney was asked if he would send the Orange head coach anything for his good deed.
“Man, if we win the national championship, he’s gonna be riding in the car with me in downtown Clemson. Y’all go ahead and print that,” said Swinney.
Dabo Swinney on if he'll send Syracuse coach Fran Brown anything for beating Miami and putting Clemson in the ACC title game.
"Man, if we win the national championship, he’s gonna be riding in the car with me in downtown Clemson. Y’all go ahead and print that."
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) December 3, 2024
Before it can even think about a national title, Swinney’s team must win the ACC title first just to get into the College Football Playoff. But if the Tigers do get in and have a shot at the whole thing, then Brown will be on call for a trip to Clemson in January.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
