Dabo Swinney misses rematch with Nick Saban

The week’s weather cost Dabo Swinney the chance for a rematch against Nick Saban.

This one probably would have turned out like the last one anyway, a Saban victory. Clemson’s coach and Alabama’s coach were scheduled to play nine holes of golf in the same group Tuesday at Reynolds Lake Oconee for the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge, but rain shuffled the schedule.

“He’s a much more serious golfer than I am,” Swinney said. “He’s a really good golfer and serious about it.”

The last time Swinney and Saban faced off, the stakes were a lot higher, as Saban’s Crimson Tide beat Swinney’s Tigers 45-40 in the College Football Playoff title game. Swinney doesn’t think the game would have come up much even if he and Saban had played golf together.

“I’ve moved on,” he said. “It’s all about what’s in front us. I don’t want that game to beat me again. Can’t do anything about what has happened. It’s all about getting this team focused on what’s going to happen tin 2016.”

The Tigers are projected to be in the mix for the national title again this year, thanks in large part to the return of quarterback Deshaun Watson and the momentum from last year’s 14-1 season.

“We learned from (the title game). It was a great experience for everybody even though it didn’t go our way on the scoreboard,” Swinney said. “As a program, it was great experience for our guys and validation in a lot of areas for us. We are just going to try to continue to stay the course and climb that mountain.”

While Clemson was making a run to the final game of the season, Swinney’s in-state rival was making a coaching change. The Gamecocks ended up with a familiar face for Swinney, who has known new South Carolina coach Will Muschamp since both started their coaching careers in the state of Alabama.

“We go a long way back,” Swinney said.

The dynamic of Swinney’s relationship with South Carolina won’t be the same without former South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier at the helm in the Columbia.

“There’s only one of him,” Swinney said. “There will probably never be another coach Spurrier. At the end of the day, you want to beat them, they want to beat you. People are passionate about that on both sides. It doesn’t really change anything from that point.”

South Carolina’s coaching change hasn’t come up much on the Tigers spring speaking circuit, Swinney said.

“We try to focus on Clemson and who we are and what’s going on in our program,” he said. “I’m sure both fan bases keep up with what is going on at the other school, but I don’t spend a lot of time on them and I’m sure they don’t spend a lot of time on us.

“Will is trying to get them going in the right direction and I have no doubt he’ll do that. I think we’re well on our way in the right direction, and I’m just trying to keep us going there, keep some momentum.”