ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dabo Swinney knows full well what everyone outside Clemson is saying about his program, and really, they can talk all they want about whether the end is near now that the Tigers have missed the College Football Playoff for the first time in seven years.
Here is what Swinney will tell you. On Oct. 1, he walked into a team meeting with a list. His team's record was 2-2. Not one player looking back at him had ever started their Clemson careers with two losses in September.
On his list, Swinney had more than 30 teams written down, all with two losses.