I just remember the 2012 Orange Bowl--the day Clemson really turned the corner as a program. After the humiliating loss to WVU (West Virginia 70, Clemson 33) they went on a tear becoming a contender year after year after year.
This chart below is why I despise the folks calling for Manny's firing after two games. It took Dabo 3 years to get the program into good enough shape to compete regularly and 7 years to even sniff a championship game. Of course we're hoping to turn the corner faster but these things can take time. This is why you never blow up a program on a whim. It should be a nuclear button you push knowing that if you do your program will not see the light of day as a contender for at least a decade. Now, If the coach is completely incompetent ***cough*** Taggart ***cough***--sure; but Manny is far from that.
By year two of Dabo Swinney he had a worse year than the first. Imagine if Clemson fired him after year two? It would be like the Boston Red Sox trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $25,000--oh wait.
2009 | 9-5 |
2010 | 6-7 |
2011 | 10-4 |
2012 | 11-2 |
2013 | 11-2 |
2014 | 10-3 |
2015 | 14-1 |
2016 | 14-1 |
2017 | 12-2 |
2018 | 15-0 |
Clemson made it to CFPNCG and lost.
Clemson made it to CFPNCG and won.
Comparing our situation to Clemsons, or even FSU year four under Jimbo Fisher--an irregularity, not the norm; it's absurd. I've heard fans in the past say "Why can't Miami be champion caliber in four years or less? Jimbo did it". It's a fluke that happens once in a blue moon.