About 10 years ago, it seemed like Dabo Swinney was finally getting it.

His Clemson teams had become the gold standard of the Atlantic Coast Conference, dominating the league and going toe-to-toe with Alabama. The Tigers won national championships over the Crimson Tide in 2016 and 2018 and played for a title the following year but lost to LSU’s Joe Burrow. No disgrace there, because those Tigers might have been the best college team of the last 20 years.

Beyond that, Swinney established everything else a championship program requires—culture, relationships and accountability—while doing things his way. Life was good in the Upstate, and it appeared it would stay that way for a while.

Fast-forward to Saturday. Clemson opened the 2024 season with a 34-3 loss to Georgia, a game that was close until it wasn’t. Technically, the Tigers could still win the ACC, could still appear in the expanded playoff, and could still win the national title.

But they won’t. And they probably won’t until Swinney stops living in the was and begins living in the is. As in, he needs to quit being so stubborn and start realizing the transfer portal and NIL are tools every coach has to use.

By ignoring the portal and NIL, Swinney is essentially the guy who sits down to eat a four-course meal without silverware. You can get full eventually, but you’re sure going to be a mess by the time it happens. And Clemson football is presently the four-car wreck in turn four at Darlington that you can’t unsee.

Not that most of the ACC is much better these days. Florida State dribbled down its pants leg last weekend in Ireland, losing to Georgia Tech in a game that exposed the Seminoles’ lack of toughness. Virginia Tech was touted as a potential sleeper team by some experts, then lost in overtime at Vanderbilt.

As long as we’re on the subject, a special dishonorable mention to Commodore fans, or what existed of them Saturday. Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia said he had to go to a silent count on his team’s winning touchdown because of the noise Hokie fans were making. Silent count at home? That would be like the Cameron Crazies trying to rattle one of their own players on a key foul shot. 

If relegation existed in college football, the ACC would throw out about half its schools and bring in either half the Sun Belt or half the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Think North Dakota State couldn’t finish in the top half of the ACC this year? 

The Bison were better than Colorado for most of Thursday night’s game and might have won in Boulder if the Big 12 refs hadn’t whiffed a blatant targeting that cost NDSU 15 precious yards on its last drive. Coaches come and go in Fargo, but blocking and tackling sticks around. It’s how you win football games.

Oh, what about Miami, you ask? Didn’t it post a big win at Florida? Well, yes, if you’re into winning against programs who are about to flush a $26 million buyout on a coach, Billy Napier, whose seat is hotter than the weather in Gainesville. 

And besides that, the Hurricanes haven’t been relevant in 20 years, or about the time Kellen Winslow Jr. referred to himself as a soldier in one of the most underrated postgame rants of our time after a home loss to Tennessee.

Maybe Dabo can do that. Or start taking calls on his coaches show again. 

Or he could hit the update button and start using the portal and NIL like everyone else does. And maybe contending for championships again.