Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney may be dooming himself with this gamble.
The Clemson Tigers have lost three straight season openers heading into 2026, and considering they will begin their campaign at LSU this year, that streak very well could run to four.
The problem? Dabo Swinney keeps scheduling tough opponents to begin the season.
Dating back to 2021, Clemson has lost four of its last five openers: Georgia in 2021, at Duke in 2023, at Georgia in 2024 and LSU last year.
The only team the Tigers have beaten throughout that stretch? Georgia Tech in 2022, a squad that went on to finish just 5-7 that year.
So why does Swinney continue making it difficult on his team — and himself — right out of the gate?
Clemson is definitely an underdog at LSU this Saturday. The former isn't even ranked, while the latter is No. 11 in the country and just put together a stacked roster during the offseason in Lane Kiffin's first foray into Baton Rouge.
Clemson could have gone the Alabama route and opened against someone like East Carolina, or follow Ohio State's path and begin with Ball State.
Instead, the Tigers once again opted for the macho route, and while I do believe that this Saturday is generally a cushy situation for Clemson given the team's lack of expectations entering the year, guaranteeing yourself a win probably would have been better.
Rumor has it that the Tigers will kick off their 2027 campaign against NC State, which is certainly a much more manageable opponent. So perhaps Swinney is finally bucking the trend. He should stick to that avenue.
I understand the appeal of wanting to begin versus a tough team. It's a gamble, because if you win that game, then your stock skyrockets. And if Clemson is able to top LSU on the road this week, then yes; the Tigers' standing will increase significantly.
But it's a gamble Clemson shouldn't have to deal with at the current point in time.
Now, I understand that Swinney agreed to this LSU home-and-home series back in 2018. That was a long time ago, and the Tigers were in a very different place back then.
Moving forward, however, Clemson should be much pickier about how it plans its schedule. Because right now, it isn't working for the Tigers.
