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College Football Playoff: Dabo Swinney emphatically backs SMU to make field following ACC title win

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•12/07/24•

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Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney arm in arm with players for the "Walk of Champions" before the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl with Kentucky at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, Friday, December 29, 2023.

Once again, Clemson finds itself as ACC champions. Head coach Dabo Swinney has dominated the conference in recent years and despite entering the contest vs. SMU with three losses, punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff with a win. Now, the committee will have to decide if their opponent makes the dance as well.

Swinney certainly believes SMU deserved to get in. He kicked off his postgame interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath saying as such. Swinney will not have to hold his breath for his own team on Selection Sunday but will be cheering for a fellow ACC program to get an at-large bid.

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“What a game,” Swinney said after the win. “That’s a playoff football team. SMU, they better be in the dang playoffs. What a comeback by those guys.”

If there is a team fighting SMU for the final spot in the CFP, it’s Alabama. Tuesday saw the Crimson Tide in the projected field but some help was still needed. Mainly, SMU winning the ACC Championship game and leaving Clemson completely out of the conversation.

Folks in Tuscaloosa were really rooting for the Mustangs, hoping to sneak into the 12-team field despite losing three regular season games for the first time since 2010.

Swinney did his alma mater no justice as we might have our first-ever bid stealer in college football, similar to the hardwood. A great moment for Clemson as the program continues to find success despite a lot of outside noise.

“Listen, I’m proud of our guys,” Swinney said. “We fought all night to get back here to get a tenth win and win this thing for the eighth time in 10 years. And in the playoffs for the seventh time?! Man, I’m just, the heart of our guys. We’ve been so close. And we found a way.”

Clemson will await to see where the committee ranks them. In On3’s latest projections, the Tigers do not receive a top-four seed nor a bye, having to play on the road. A trip to South Bend to face off against Notre Dame as the 12-seed would provide plenty of intrigue.

SMU will travel back to Dallas and await its destiny. Rhett Lashlee certainly feels like his team should be in and his coaching counterpart feels the same way.