CLEMSON — If you want to point the finger at someone for Clemson’s disappointing 2025 football season, Dabo Swinney says to point the finger at him.

No one in college football has been better at winning close games than Clemson in the last 15 years. The Tigers have won more one-score games than any other team. The Tigers also have the best win-percentage in close games.

However, last year, Clemson was 1-3 in one-score games. The Tigers’ three losses came by a combined 11 points.

“I did not get it done last year,” Swinney said on the Jim Rome Show this past Tuesday.

Clemson lost to LSU, 17-10, in the season opener before dropping a 24-21 heartbreaker to Georgia Tech a few weeks later, as the Yellow Jackets hit a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Later in the season, the Tigers were beaten by Duke in the final seconds. It was the first time Clemson lost to the Blue Devils at Memorial Stadium since 1980.

“Two of those games were on the last play of the game, just gut-wrenching,” Swinney said.

The Tigers finished the season with a 7-6 record, including a loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. It was an extremely disappointing year, especially considering the Tigers were a preseason top 4 team that was expected to win the ACC and compete for a national championship.

Again, Swinney said to blame him.

“One score games are hard,” Clemson’s head coach said. “To me, the head coach should make the difference in close games, and I did not do that.”

Since 2011, Clemson is 151-7 when leading after three quarters. It is one of the best records in college football. However, they did not get it done in the fourth quarter last year.

“Two of those (seven losses) were last year. There were a couple of times when we did not finish when we had an opportunity to, and I did not make the difference in the close games. To me that is my job as a head coach,” Swinney said. “I am disappointed that I was not better for those guys because that team was certainly better than its record.”

Clemson wrapped up spring practices on March 30. Unlike last year, especially with so many new pieces in place, the expectations for the Tigers are at their lowest since 2011, when they were coming off a 6-7 campaign in 2010.

Again, a year in which they lost a lot of close games. Does that sound familiar?

“Now it is just the opposite, everybody is telling us how bad we are and all of that, so I think it is a great opportunity for us to see if we can get back in the mix this season,” Swinney said.

Clemson opens the 2026 season at LSU on Sept. 5. It is a great opportunity for Clemson to get back in the mix on the national stage.