James Franklin not alone in struggles vs. Top 10 opponents
By Chris Snyder
Dabo Swinney – Clemson
2008
None
2009
1-0 W @ Miami (8) 40-37
2010
None
2011
2-0 W Virginia Tech (5) 38-10
2012
2-1 L @ Florida State (4) 49-37
3-1 W LSU (9) 25-24
2013
4-1 W Georgia (5) 38-35
4-2 L Florida State (5) 51-14
4-3 L @ South Carolina (10) 31-17
5-3 W Ohio State (7) 40-35
2014
5-4 L @ Florida State (1) 23-17
2015
6-4 W Notre Date (6) 24-22
7-4 W North Carolina (8) 45-37
8-4 W Oklahoma (4) 37-17 (CFP)
8-5 L Alabama (2) 45-40 (CFP)
2016
9-5 W Louisville (3) 42-36
10-5 W Ohio State (2) 31-0 (CFP)
11-5 W Alabama (1) 35-31 (CFP)
2017
12-5 W Miami (7) 38-3 (ACC Championship)
12-6 L Alabama (4) 24-6 (CFP)
2018
13-6 W Notre Dame (3) 30-3 (CFP)
14-6 W Alabama (1) 44-16 (CFP)
2019
15-6 W Ohio State (2) 29-23 (CFP)
15-7 L LSU (1) 42-25 (CFP)
2020
16-7 W Miami (7) 42-17
16-8 L Notre Dame (4) 47-40
17-8 W Notre Dame (2) 34-10 (ACC Championship)
17-9 L Ohio State (3) 49-28 (CFP)
2021
17-10 L Georgia (5) 10-3
Conclusion
Okay, now we’re onto one of the coaches who has seen sustained success at both their program and against top 10 opponents.
Typically these things go hand in hand.
Even though it took Clemson a while to get things going in regards to the national spotlight, Swinney was able to put together an excellent record against top 10 teams.
Dabo held a 7-4 record against elite teams before finally breaking through into the College Football Playoffs in 2015.
Even though Clemson has had a very down year this season, they’ve only squared off against one top 10 opponents. Which is usually par for the course for a team who plays in the powder-puff ACC conference.
No matter what you actually think of the guy, Dabo Swinney is an elite coach and his 17-10 record proves it.
Now onto modern football’s GOAT.