College football has had many changes over the past few days for the future, and Dabo Swinney gave his thoughts amid a game week for the Tigers.

Clemson returns home for Senior Day against Georgia Tech after back-to-back road victories helped achieve bowl eligibility for the 28th straight season. The Tigers currently sit at 6-3 (4-2 ACC). Swinney will be coaching his 250th career game against the team he opened his head coaching career with.

Despite the two victories, they brought very different results offensively.

The Tigers scored 36 points on Florida State before turning around and not scoring an offensive touchdown in Syracuse. This marked the first time Clemson won a game without an offensive touchdown since its 2023 victory on the road against South Carolina.

This week, the offense will have plenty of opportunity to improve against a struggling Georgia Tech squad.

The Yellowjackets are just 2-7 (1-5) on the season with their lone FBS win coming over Duke on October 10th. Since that victory, they are on a four-game losing streak in which they have given up at least 34 points in each contest.

Coming into Clemson, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key has restructured his staff, firing multiple coaches. These include the defensive coordinator, defensive ends coach, offensive line coach, and the wide receivers coach.

The defensive unit for Clemson has continued to thrive under Tom Allen as all position groups have picked up their production. The biggest improvement seen on the defense has come with getting pressure to the backfield. Clemson has now had 13 sacks and 25 TFLs in its last three games as Georgia Tech has given up 15 sacks and 28 TFLs during its losing streak.

It is safe to say the odds are heavily on the Tigers’ side as Clemson is favored by -13.5 according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Georgia Tech ended a nine-game winning streak for Clemson in this matchup a year ago on a walk off field goal, and the Tigers are looking to take it back.

Some Key Comments from Swinney

> Saturday will be Senior Day for Clemson. Always a good time to honor our seniors in every part of our building.

> Georgia Tech has some staff changes going on that presents unknowns going into the game. They are a better team than their record. Their running backs are two of the best we have seen.

> This game is about us continuing to build momentum and grow our team.

> This game will start in the trenches. Have to be physical on both sides of the ball in the run game.

> I look forward to seeing DeAndre Hopkins coach for Georgia Tech as the WRs coach. If this is something he wants to do, I know he will be great at it.

> I think Georgia Tech’s current QB situation is a product of their record. Both guys are talented players.

> I do not have a lot of thoughts on the playoff expansion. We knew it would happen for a while, not earth-shattering news. There will be good and bad with it, like all things.

> My job is simply. Whatever the format of the playoff is, my job is to get us in to participate. I think we would have been in the 24-team playoff every year other than last year in the past decade.

> I don’t think of the playoff format that much. I think the football calendar is the biggest issue at the moment. It’s not the players’ fault, it’s the timing of the portal and school. There needs to be some type of academic agreement to allow kids to finish, it’s not synced up for a tournament.

> I’m not a fan of the conference championship games leaving. I have an SEC championship ring at home from my playing days with Alabama and LSU has the same ring because of tiebreakers.

> I think 24-teams is too many, but I don’t get a vote.

> It is insane to me that this is my 250th game as a head coach, and it’s against the team I started my career against. You don’t get to coach 250 games without great players, coaches, and administration. I still do it because I love the player and developing them. I love the challenge, but I love the relationships the most.

> I’m proud of our program. We have a program that is built to last. It is built on a very good foundation.

> Everybody has agents, everybody has contracts. At the moment, we have a one person central office. I think building out a central office is an infrastructure change that is coming to Clemson with increased spending.

> Alberto Mendoza is a very talented player, but this is his first year for him to kind of get going. Starting over at QB from the loss of Haynes King is the biggest difference for GT.

> Christopher Vizzina did not look good last night with his ankle. He’ll be ready on game day, but you can not give him a shot for practice.

> Trent Pearman would go in first on game day as QB2 on game day, but Vizzina would be ready if needed.

> Ashton Hampton was the player of the week, but he played his one of worst games this season. We got a little higher standard for No. 2 around him.

> Juju Preston did a great job in place of Tyler Brown against Syracuse. His block sprung open the big run to start the game.

> It was a tough loss against Georgia Tech last year, but I wasn’t embarrassed. I was embarrassed against Syracuse last year.

> K Nolan Hauser is an athlete. He’s got a great demeanor to him, a ton of poise. As his confidence has grown, you feel like he is going to make everything. I think he needs 4 FGs for the CFB record, but I’m frustrated because we haven’t scored TDs.

> I’m going to make the roster decisions as the head coach. We’re not going to hire somebody to come in and make the final roster. You can’t just pick who you want, you have to recruit.

> I think it is still a possibility for DT Markus Strong to be back for the South Carolina game and certainly, the postseason.

> All of our starters could come back except for Jeremiah Alexander and Jahiem Lawson. Pretty good opportunity for retention for our team.

> OL Collin Sadler has another year if he chooses to use it with a medical redshirt he already possessed.

Dabo Swinney Previews the Georgia Tech Game