Dabo Swinney is known as a master motivator, always finding an angle to play from that he uses to give his Clemson players an edge.
In 2018, he challenged his players to be the best ever by becoming the first team in major college football to 15-0. This year, with all that has gone on with the pandemic and everything else in the world, Swinney is telling the 2020 team this year’s national champion will have a chance to be crowned the greatest team of all-time.
Now with the Big Ten make in the mix for the College Football Playoff, it will only add to that lore, but he believed it was already there in the first place.
“If the Big Ten was not playing, I don’t think it would change anything at all to me,” he said following Wednesday’s practice. “I think whoever wins this has a chance to be the greatest champion ever, regardless of how many conferences [our playing.] With all that has been in play and all that everyone has had to deal with, especially these young men, that does not have anything to do with it to me.”
Swinney also pointed out, since the CFP began, only one team from the Big Ten has won a championship and that was Ohio State in 2014, the first year of the playoff. Since then, the national champion has either been Clemson or someone from the SEC.
“If they are able to come back and play, great. But as far as credibility and all of that, shoot. It is hard to win, period,” the Clemson head coach said. “I don’t care who is in the mix and the last time I checked I think there has been a lot of champions that have come from the conferences that were already playing.
“So, I don’t think it would have made it any less competitive. But now, they are back in it. Again, some of the best schools in the country, and that will make it even better. It will make it even more fun. Who knows what will happen? You still have to take the four best teams, whoever they are. So now there are just a few more teams to choose from, but we are just focused on us and trying to have a great season. To do that we just have to get better and have to improve and truly have a mindset that every week is a season of its own.”
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