Paul Finebaum admits it feels like the best of Dabo Swinney, Clemson is behind us

After Clemson lost at home to ACC rival Florida State for their second loss of the season, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum is asking: can Dabo Swinney still get it done at the highest level?

Finebaum’s answer is leaning towards no after the Tigers allowed Florida State to come into Death Valley and leave with a win. “Okay, have we seen — I hate the end — is the best of Clemson and Dabo Sweeney behind us?” he wondered on an ESPN show.

Sure, asking such a question is a dramatic step, especially after they barely lost to a top-five team. But it is worth asking.

“It feels like, you know, I hate to just be too melodramatic after a game that that was really fantastic. And it came, I mean, it came down to a kick. So, Dabo Swinney had his team prepared. They really had — I thought it was a really good game. But it just, you can’t ignore it, you know.”

For Clemson back in their late-2010s hey day, two losses in a season was rare. Two conference losses? That almost never happened.

“Two conference losses in September. I mean, I remember three seasons would go by without a conference loss for them,” Finebaum added. But you also have to remember: the Florida State before us today is not the Florida State that Clemson and the rest of the ACC was facing five or six years ago. They’ve re-elevated.

“You know, the one thing they they did not need was Florida State getting good, and they are. And it just puts more pressure on them,” says Finebaum, noting that FSU’s rise plus a lack of focus on the transfer portal has Swinney slipping behind.

“You know, all the mistakes that Dabo made early on with the portal, he’s paying for it right now. He’s paying, he’s paying big time.”

With Clemson now out of the College Football Playoff picture again early in the year, Paul Finebaum says it’s fair to wonder if the longtime Tiger head coach is capable of leading a contender without an elite future pro at QB.

“And I think the narrative, if we go — you know, obviously, we’re going to go onto another Playoff without Dabo Swinney. You’re going to see a national narrative of… If you take Deshawn Watson and Trevor Lawrence out of Dabo’s repertoire, what does he have? And the answer is: not very much.”

Strong statements from the ESPN analyst.