WATCH: Dabo Swinney reaction to Playoff rematch with Alabama |
Clemson and Alabama are set for Part III in New Orleans on Jan. 1. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney gave his quick thoughts on facing his alma mater for a third time in three years on ESPN:
"Excited. Obviously they had a lot to consider from a committee standpoint," Swinney said. "They put the four best teams in there. Alabama has been the standard for a long time. We've obviously had a couple huge battles with them. Excited about it. "It's been 25 years since I've been to the Sugar Bowl and it was with Alabama. It's only fitting to have a chance to advance to Atlanta to have a heavyweight matchup with Clemson and Alabama. We'll be excited about it." Swinney was asked about what a third matchup with the Crimson Tide means to preparation. "No question there's changes on both sides," Swinney said. "A lot of different personnel. The other difference is we've been playing them in the national championship game. This is the playoff (semifinal). Both teams have more time to get ready for each other, which is the probably the biggest difference. At the end of the day, it's Alabama-Clemson and it's going to be a heck of a game. I don't have any doubt." On the location of games, Swinney said he's thankful his Tigers don't have to travel across the country, adding though that the "Rose Bowl would have been awesome." "You lose another day of prep this year with the game moved and the week shortened," said Swinney. "That was a challenge for us last year coming back. We ended up winning, so I can't say it ended up being an advantage (for the other team). But it was a challenge for sure. We're excited to be in the Sugar Bowl. It's been 59 years since Clemson has been in the Sugar Bowl and we look forward to getting there and having some great preparation and ready for a heck of a matchup."
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