Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has opened up on a potential controversial celebration against the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend.
The rivalry between the Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks is definitely one of the fiercer competitions in the sport, and while Clemson has been mostly dominant in the matchup, owning 73-44-4 lifetime record against its foe, the last few years proved that anything can happen.
The rivalry game doesn't have quite the same amount of juice this year, as both teams have had disappointing campaigns. Clemson has qualified for a bowl game, but is just 6-5 entering the matchup. Meanwhile, South Carolina is 4-7.
The hatred still runs deep between the two programs, however, so this clash in Columbia is definitely for bragging rights.
However, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has immediately put to rest any possibility of Clemson planting a flag or disrespecting the Gamecocks in a potential road win.
Swinney said that "winning with class" will be the goal this Saturday and that "if" the Tigers are able to snatch a victory against South Carolina, no flags will be staked.
You have to appreciate Swinney's candor here, especially considering that beating the Gamecocks this season wouldn't exactly be a major accomplishment.
We also all remember the postgame fracas between Ohio State and Michigan last November, when the Wolverines decided to plant a flag at midfield at Ohio State only to result in a brawl.
Surely, Swinney wants to avoid that, and it wouldn't be a particularly good look to celebrate so excessively for beating a team that, in that case, would finish 4-8.
Clemson got off to a 1-3 start this season but has rebounded to go 5-2 over its last seven games. It has won three straight, including a victory over Louisville a couple of weeks ago.
The Tigers entered the 2025 campaign with national championship aspirations, and at the very least, they were aiming to make the College Football Playoff.
That won't be happening, as Clemson will finish with its worst mark since going 6-7 in 2010, which was Swinney's second year with the program.
Prior to 2025, the Tigers had racked up double-digit win campaigns 13 times in 14 seasons, with the only outlier coming in 2023 when they went 9-4.