Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Reveals Thoughts on 24-Team CFP

The Clemson Tigers enter this current week with a record of 4-2 on the season, including going 2-1 in ACC play.

The 2026 season has been a little up and down for the Tigers so far, with Clemson dropping some tough games to high-ranked opponents. But the team is still alive in the ACC, and they will need to put together a strong end to the season.

Clemson will be taking on the Virginia Tech Hokies this week, who come in with a record of 5-2 on the year. Both Clemson and Virginia Tech are on the outside looking in of being ranked, while also missing the College Football Playoff as of now.

But this could be changing in the coming seasons.

When asked about the expected agreement to expand the College Football Playoff bracket from 12 to 24 teams, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had some thoughts. Swinney has never been one to hide his feelings on a subject, and he didn't hold back on the likely move.

While the veteran head coach said that he isn't focusing on the expansion, he does believe that the move is entirely being done for money. Swinney has been around long enough to understand this, and he believes that there will be unintended consequences from the decision.

With the playoff doubling in size, teams like Clemson could have an easier time getting into the bracket in the coming years. Even if the Tigers were to lose a few games, the new-look tournament will benefit middle-of-the-pack teams, which shouldn't be the case.

Swinney has led the Tigers to two titles during his tenure as the head coach, both coming in the playoff era. But when Clemson won, the tournament was just four teams, pitting the best of the best against one another.

Now that the playoff has been expanded to 12 currently, it has watered-down the field a little bit. And once the bracket is expanded to 24 teams, it will be more of the same for the sport.

Clemson could benefit from the expansion going forward, but that doesn't mean that Swinney agrees with the move. But the Tigers can't stop this, so the program may as well embrace the changes that are going to happen to college football.

For now, Clemson will focus on Virginia Tech, with Swinney keeping his team centered on the upcoming game. Kickoff between the two teams is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET this week.