If the ACC, SEC and Big 12 carry on with college football this fall without the rest of the Power 5 conferences, the value of this season’s national championship won’t be undermined because “whoever wins it is gonna have to earn it,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 announced Tuesday that they postponed fall football because of health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, joining Group of Five conferences like the MAC and Mountain West, in addition to some independent schools. But the remaining major college football conferences are moving forward.
So, during a virtual press conference Wednesday, Clemson’s two-time national championship coach was asked if he believes the importance of the national championship will be damaged without the Big Ten and Pac-12.
“No,” Swinney said. “It is what it is.”
(The question was asked at the 4:25-mark in the video below.)
Swinney said:
“Pick the four best teams can go play. And we’ve been one of those four for five years in a row. So, in my opinion, it doesn’t change anything for us. We’re just trying to be the best Clemson we can be. And whoever you play every week, you try to win that game, and you try to keep moving forward.
“We don’t have any control over that stuff. And I certainly don’t judge them in any way. Everybody’s gotta make decisions that they feel’s best. If they feel like that’s what best for them, then so be it.”
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Since the 2015-16 season, Clemson has been one of the four College Football Playoff teams and won it all in 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. But in the six years since this championship format was implemented, the Big Ten has had four teams make the playoff, while the Pac-12 has had two. The remaining past playoff participants have also always been SEC, ACC or Big 12 teams, with the exception of Notre Dame.
Swinney continued to explain his perspective and cited the NBA, MLB and other organizations as examples of professional sports leagues whose seasons were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which, so far, has led to more than five million cases and 163,000 deaths in the U.S.
And those leagues still found a way to determine a champion, he said, adding:
“Everybody has the opportunity to opt out in this environment, if you will. Nobody has to be here as a coach, nobody has to be here as a player, this is complete voluntary. So they chose not to play, and I don’t judge them at all. I’m not in their situation, so they made that decision. That’s for them.
“I’m just grateful and thankful that our presidents in the ACC and the Big 12 and the SEC have given us and continue to believe in our protocols and what we’re doing and supporting us and these players in what they’re trying to in having a season. So hopefully we’re all able to move forward. And when it’s all said and done, whoever wins it, wins it. That’s the champion. It’s the same way in every sport. Basketball got disrupted, but they’re going to crown a champion. …
“So maybe it’s a shortened season, maybe it’s not as many teams or whatever. But you best believe whoever wins it is gonna have to earn it. Ain’t nobody gonna give nothing to nobody. So you can only control what you control, and we just hope we can have the opportunity to play.”
The ACC will play a modified 11-game schedule this season with 10 conference games, plus one nonconference matchup that must be played in the home state of the ACC school. The season will begin the week of September 7 “if public health guidance allows,” the conference noted in July.
There won’t be divisions this year, so the ACC championship game will be played by the two teams with the best records. Notre Dame will also be part of the ACC for this season only and will be eligible for the conference title game.
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