Paul Finebaum believes a Dabo Swinney loss no longer deserves national attention.

Following Clemson’s 20-16 home loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday, Finebaum offered a quick thought on Swinney.

On The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum expressed indifference toward Clemson’s longtime head coach.

The ESPN personality says a Swinney loss used to send “shivers” through college football — similarly to a Nick Saban loss at Alabama — but that’s no longer the case as Clemson losses have become far more common over the last several seasons than they were at the height of Swinney’s dominant run.

“I’ll just mention Dabo one more time,” Finebaum said. “But there was a time when a Dabo Swinney loss was treated the same way as a Nick Saban loss. I mean, it sent shivers. And now it’s like, OK, was that three? Was that four? And who cares?”

During a dynastic six-year stretch under Swinney from 2015-20, Clemson accumulated an incredible overall record of 79-7, while winning the ACC Championship every single year, making six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances and capturing two national titles.

By contrast — counting the 7-6 finish in 2025 and their current 4-3 record following Saturday’s loss to James Franklin’s Virginia Tech — Clemson has lost 23 games over the last five-plus seasons from 2021-26. In that span, the Tigers have made only one playoff appearance, and they have reached 10 wins in a season just once over the last three years.

Responding to Finebaum’s comments, Matt Barrie made his own remarks about Clemson’s program decline, and the Tigers falling to “average” as a program.

“The level with which that program has kind of altered itself into being average is — I didn’t think I’d see the day,” Barrie said. “I thought Clemson was set up perfectly for — I mean, maybe they’ll come back in the 24-team playoff era. But the fall of Clemson, and then James Franklin doing what he’s doing at Virginia Tech.”

The loss to Virginia Tech dropped Clemson to 2–2 in ACC play, effectively ending the Tigers’ ACC Championship and playoff aspirations for the 2026 season.

Swinney’s team will try to get back on track this Saturday (7 p.m., ACC Network) when it takes on Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.