Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney Excited for 12-Team College Football Playoff

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is ready for the new 12-team playoff format coming to college football in December. In an appearance on SiriusXM’s College Sports Radio, Swinney expressed his enthusiasm for the expanded playoff system, set to debut in the 2024 season.

Under the new format, the four highest-ranked conference champions from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 will receive first-round byes, while teams seeded fifth through 12th will earn at-large bids and play each other in the first round on the higher-ranked seed’s home field.

Reflecting on last year’s College Football Playoff seedings, Swinney noted that Clemson had made the four-team playoff more times than any school other than Alabama between 2014-2023. With the success they’ve had in the current format, Swinney is confident that his team is ready for the challenge of a larger playoff field.

“We’ve proven we can do it with four, so we definitely feel like that with 12 or 16 or wherever it’s going to end up that we’re a playoff-caliber team, and you get in the playoffs, anything can happen,” Swinney said.

The new playoff model has generated excitement among fans and coaches alike, with the potential for intriguing matchups and increased opportunities for teams to compete for a national championship. With the countdown to the 2024 season underway, college football fans can look forward to a thrilling new era in the sport.