Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney met with reporters via Zoom following Wednesday’s practice and discussed the Big Ten and Pac-12 decisions on Tuesday to postpone the fall college football season for their respective conferences.

Meanwhile, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 are still hoping to play football this fall and moving forward with plans to try and do so.

Swinney was asked if the fact that two of the Power Five conferences won’t be playing will diminish what a championship might mean for the team that is ultimately crowned the winner in what is certain to be a unique campaign.

Swinney’s answer was clear.

“No. I mean, it is what it is,” he said. “You pick the four best teams (for the College Football Playoff) and go play, and we’ve been one of those four for five years in a row. So in my opinion, it doesn’t change anything for us. We’re just trying to be the best Clemson we can be, and whoever we get to play every week, we try to win that game and try to keep moving forward, and we don’t have any control over that stuff.”

Swinney says the situation with college football is similar to the professional sports leagues that had to put their seasons on hold due to the pandemic, and just because their seasons were interrupted doesn’t take away from the difficulty of winning a championship or the validity of it.

“When it’s all said and done, whoever wins it, wins it. That’s the champion,” he said. “It’s the same in every sport. Basketball got disrupted, but they’re going to crown a champion. Golf got disrupted, but when somebody wins it, they crown a winner. Somebody’s going to win the baseball, MLS soccer. They’re playing, somebody’s going to win the championship.

“Maybe it’s a shortened season, maybe it’s not as many teams or whatever, but you best believe whoever wins it is going to have to earn it. Ain’t nobody going to give nothing to nobody, so you can only control what you control. We just hope we can have the opportunity to play.”

Swinney said he respects the Big Ten and Pac-12 choosing to pull the plug on playing this fall but is glad the other three power conferences are pushing forward for the time being.

“I certainly don’t judge them in any way,” he said. “Everybody’s got to make decisions that they feel is best, and if they feel like that’s what is best for them, then so be it. Like I said, everybody has the opportunity to opt out in this environment, if you will. Nobody has to be here as a coach, nobody has to be here as a player. This is complete voluntary, and so they chose not to play and I don’t judge them at all. I’m not in their situation, so they made that decision, that’s for them.

“I’m just grateful and thankful that our presidents and the ACC and the Big 12 and the SEC have continued to believe in our protocols and what we’re doing and supporting us and these players in what they’re trying to do and having a season. So, hopefully we’re all able to move forward.”

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