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No one could blame Dabo Swinney if he is wearing a bit of a knowing smirk this week.
His Clemson Tigers will visit Florida State on Saturday in a game that was once expected to be not just a marquee matchup in the ACC, but also a litmus test on how to run a program in the modern era.
The marquee part is gone — FSU is 1-4 and starting a backup quarterback.
The litmus part is still there though. These are two programs with different philosophies that are potentially headed in different directions — it’s just not the directions that most would have believed coming into the season.
Clemson is 3-1 and ranked 12th in the country, dusting itself off and looking great after an opening week blowout loss to Georgia. That result sparked a chorus of criticism over Dabo’s distaste for using the transfer portal to bolster the roster.
Florida State, meanwhile, has had a disastrous start to a season where it was supposed to ride the momentum of last year’s 13-0 regular season campaign. A year ago the transfer portal delivered big for coach Mike Norvell. This time it’s been a bust, leaving the program reeling and top recruits fleeing their verbal commitments.
Does that reversal justify Swinney’s decision to stick with homegrown talent? (The only other programs that didn’t take a transfer last offseason were Army, Navy and Air Force.)
Maybe. Or maybe not, especially at the national championship level where the Tigers once operated. It does suggest that if his approach can’t produce a championship-level ceiling, it does offer a high floor. Dabo’s worst season was a year ago when the Tigers went 9-4. That seems pretty appealing right now if you are in Tallahassee.
“I think, certainly, everybody’s surprised of where their record is, [but] you also have to give the other teams some credit,” Swinney said. “They’ve…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/clemson-fsu-may-have-lost-luster-but-saturdays-acc-clash-will-reveal-plenty-195021002.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-10-03 19:50:21
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