While Clemson continues to feature in national conversations as a potential candidate to return to the College Football Playoff, ESPN analyst Pat McAfee questioned whether head coach Dabo Swinney and USC head coach Lincoln Riley still carry the same intimidation factor as they once did.
Speaking on Tuesday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee grouped Swinney and Riley together when assessing established head coaches working to return their programs to top-tier national dominance, placing Swinney slightly higher in the grouping.
“This sounds terrible, and I don’t mean it to sound this way. I put Dabo Swinney and Lincoln Riley in the same bucket,” McAfee said. “Let’s say Dabo, a little bit above him then, in that bucket, but just like, so good. So good. We’ll put Dabo above Lincoln, let me clarify that. Dabo above Lincoln. Same bucket though.”
McAfee noted that while both coaches maintain strong professional reputations across the sport, their overall standing in the national hierarchy has shifted in recent years.
“Both of those guys, I think, everybody thinks, ‘Good football coach,’” McAfee said. “But nobody really fears them.”
Analyzing Program Trajectories
Addressing why both programs have struggled to sustain top-tier national presence in recent years, McAfee pointed to distinct structural challenges confronting each coach.
For Riley and USC, McAfee highlighted persistent defensive issues despite having elite individual talent on offense.
“But, I mean, since we’ve been a part of college football, recent history, it’s just — not really, at all,” McAfee said. “They had Caleb [Williams] at USC. It’s always the defense for some reason. One year they couldn’t tackle anybody because they weren’t tough enough. It’s like, there’s always something.”
Regarding Swinney and Clemson, McAfee suggested the Tigers fell behind top competitors due to a delay in adapting to modern changes across the college football landscape, including Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal.
“And then for Dabo, Dabo was sticking up for football, and what college football and sports were supposed to be for a while,” McAfee said. “And it’s like, ‘OK, we appreciate you doing that,’ but everybody is like, just completely bypassing him. Now, he’s in the game, but he’s a little bit late. Will that help his team? I mean, we shall see.”
Evaluating National Title Expectations
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, McAfee expressed skepticism regarding whether Clemson or USC can challenge top national contenders, pointing to Clemson’s Sept. 5 season opener against LSU in Baton Rouge as a pivotal early test.
“This first weekend down at Baton Rouge for Clemson this year, that could be a 50-burger. … That could be a devastating one. … Is Clemson a new team? Maybe. Is USC all of a sudden new, because, I don’t know? I just kind of view them the same way, where it’s like good football coaches. We all agree you’re good football coaches, but none of us really – I’m speaking for myself – I don’t really ever think that they can beat [Indiana’s Curt] Cignetti. Are these guys gonna beat Cignetti? Are these guys gonna beat [Georgia’s] Kirby [Smart]? You know what I mean. That is kind of how I started viewing it, and I hope Riley is good because he’s awesome, I think. He seems like a cool guy. And I hope Dabo is good as well. But it’s hard for me just to see it with how everybody else has performed in this situation versus how they have performed.”
Clemson will have an immediate opportunity to address those national perceptions when the Tigers travel to Tiger Stadium to open the 2026 regular season against LSU.
