Dabo Swinney gets honest about Orange Bowl

As Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers prepare for the upcoming Orange Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers Swinney addressed whether or not this would be a disappointment to his team because, for the second year in a row, they didn’t make the College Football Playoff.

Swinney sees the Orange Bowl as a great opportunity for his team more than a disappointment.

“First of all, the history of the Orange Bowl is amazing. I mean some of the greatest games ever in college football have taken place at the Orange Bowl,” said Swinney. “It’s a big-time experience. It’s a big-time bowl.”

Clemson rebounded nicely from their loss to South Carolina by defeating North Carolina for the ACC Championship, but it still has to hurt that they were one point away from poassible making the CFP.

“Both of these teams are playoff-caliber teams,” Swinney said. “There’s four spots and it’s really, really hard to be in the final four…There’s not many teams out there that have 10+ wins. Both of (our) teams were, certainly for 12-13 weeks, one of those teams that had the opportunity. We both had our opportunities to play our way in there…(But) this will be an exciting opportunity to finish our year.”

Both Clemson and Tennessee have a chance to end their seasons on a positive note and have momentum going into next year.

{Orange Bowl Presser}