The Clemson Insider · Sep 20, 2025
Clemson off to Worst Start Under Swinney, Worst in 21 Years
Clemson is now off to its worst start in the Dabo Swinney era and its worst start in 21 years.
The Tigers suffered a 34-21 loss to Syracuse on Saturday at Death Valley, falling to 1-3 – something that had previously never happened under Swinney.
Before now, Clemson had never started worse than 2-2 through four games in a season under Swinney.
The 1-3 start also marks Clemson’s worst since 2004, when the Tigers started 1-4 when Swinney was the Tigers wide receivers coach under Tommy Bowden. Clemson finished that season 6-5 (4-4 ACC).
Here’s a look at Clemson’s record, through four games, in every season since 2009, Swinney’s first full season as the Tigers’ head coach:
2009: 2-2
2010: 2-2
2011: 4-0