The college football season cannot get here soon enough. The jabs and cheap shots that happen all across the country are beginning to take place by opposing coaches, and fan bases are chomping at the bit to get the season underway.
For Clemson head coach, Dabo Swinney, he didn’t mince words when a question of whether Alabama was worn down by the time they faced the Tigers was an excuse for the drubbing they placed on the Tide to the tune of 44-16.
Swinney, who coaches in the ACC, was not having it, and shared his thoughts on how his team’s schedule was no slouch as well. While speaking with ESPN’s, Chris Low, Swinney had a mouthful to say about the Tide and the SEC.
“Listen, the SEC is a great conference, but I don’t think they’ve been as deep the last few years. I think they’ve had two or three really good teams and then it’s kind of been hit or miss from there. It’s an awesome league, for sure, and I know people say that Alabama was tired because they went through the grind and had to play all these teams. Well, they won by an average of 33.1 points per game [going into the playoff], so they ought to be well rested.
“My thing on that is, ‘Are you serious? They’re tired?’ Then you look at Clemson, and we won 12 games by 20-plus. Who really challenged Alabama in the SEC? They didn’t get challenged by anybody until the Georgia game.”
“I keep hearing that Alabama was worn down by this gauntlet they went through,” Swinney said. “I’m like, ‘What game did they get challenged in?’ And the response is, ‘They played in the SEC.’ Well, we played Alabama, Texas A&M and South Carolina, three SEC teams, and one of our toughest games was Syracuse. Our quarterback got hurt in that game, and we found a way to win. That [Clemson] team last year was a dominant team, and it’s just fascinating to me to see all the stuff out there.”
If you are hoping for an Alabama/Clemson rematch, Swinney is definitely doing his best to add more fuel to rivalry.
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