CLEVELAND, Ohio — Paul Finebaum took a moment during the first hour of his Monday show to deliver a funeral oration for what was once considered one of the sport’s most dominant programs, definitively declaring an end to Dabo Swinney’s Clemson dynasty following yet another inexplicable loss, this time to Syracuse.
After years of dominating the ACC and making College Football Playoff appearances seem routine, Clemson has fallen on hard times with losses to unheralded opponents that have fans and analysts alike questioning the program’s direction and Swinney’s future.
“We have often prematurely said that Dabo’s dynasty is now in doubt. Well, it’s over,” Finebaum stated bluntly on his show. “You can’t have a dynasty when you lose as often as they have and as inexplicably as they have.”
This wasn’t just another hot take from the SEC Network personality; it represented a significant shift from previous conversations that merely questioned Clemson’s standing.
Finebaum has moved past speculating about decline to pronouncing the dynasty dead, a dramatic development for a program that was competing for national championships just a few seasons ago.
The brutally honest assessment didn’t stop there.
Finebaum went on to question whether Swinney’s remarkable tenure at Clemson has simply run its course.
“And many wonder how much longer Dabo Swinney will be at Clemson. He’s a really good coach. But sometimes you stay some place too long,” Finebaum said. “Sometimes you become entitled. You think that it’s no big deal when you’re losing to schools like Georgia Tech and Syracuse.”
This entitlement theory cuts to the heart of what many observers see happening at Clemson – a program that became so accustomed to success that it failed to evolve while competitors caught up and surpassed it.
The comparison to losses against Georgia Tech and Syracuse, programs with a fraction of Clemson’s resources, particularly stings for Tiger fans.
The sentiment isn’t limited to media analysts. Callers to Finebaum’s show expressed similar frustrations, with one passionate fan awarding Swinney the unflattering “donkey of the day” title. As caller Dwayne from New Orleans colorfully put it:
“D Swinney. Huh? That’s the donkey of the day. Huh? He gone. Hey Paul, Ty, he gone. Paul. Paul, he fired. Paul, he fired. Paul. Paul, he fired.”
This fan reaction illustrates the growing impatience among a fanbase that once revered Swinney as the architect of Clemson’s rise to national prominence. Now, many of those same supporters are questioning whether he’s the right person to lead the program forward.
The timing of Finebaum’s declaration is particularly notable coming after Clemson’s loss to an LSU team that was once viewed as a marquee matchup between two elite programs. Just weeks later, that game has lost much of its luster as Clemson continues to falter.
For recruits and current players, this public perception of a program in decline creates a challenging environment. The transfer portal era means talent can quickly exit a program perceived to be fading, potentially accelerating the dynasty’s collapse.
Whether Swinney can reverse this narrative and prove Finebaum wrong remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the aura of inevitability that once surrounded Clemson has vanished, replaced by questions, criticism, and declarations that the dynasty that dominated college football for nearly a decade has reached its end.
