Paul Finebaum tells Dabo Swinney 'Time is up' at Clemson

The Clemson Tigers are having an unprecedented year under Dabo Swinney and the bandwagon is getting lighter week-by-week for the one-time ACC favorites. 

After suffering a 35-24 loss to SMU, which put them 3-4 on the season, there's real cause for concern with the direction of the program right now. While Swinney is not showing his worries on the outside, what's going on inside might be another story. During an appearance on Monday's episode of First Take, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum weighed in on what's next for Clemson.

“(Swinney) has really lost control of the program," Finebaum said. "Many people thought he had it back. A lot of people picked Clemson to win the title. He had [Cade] Klubnik, who was thought to be maybe the No. 1 draft choice. They lost that LSU game. It’s been straight downhill ever since." 

Finebaum isn't wrong. Nothing has gone right for the Tigers and the program has been in reverse. When does something break the momentum? Swinney tried to remain cheerful and told reporters on Saturday “The year’s not over" and "we hopefully have earned a lot of credibility around here." But another loss puts the program in danger of skipping the postseason for the first time in his tenure.  

“Swinney has gone to the well one too many times, trying to convince his fan base, ‘Hey, we played for four national championships. I have two. I can still do it again," Finebaum added.  "There’s nobody that believes Dabo Swinney is ever going to win a national championship again at Clemson. This was his last shot.”

Clemson has been a consistent contender in the College Football Playoff with two national championships in the past decade. However, the average finish of No. 15 in the nation over the past four seasons won't make the cut.   

“I’m not suggesting they fire him, but he needs to find an exit strategy, because Dabo, your time is up," Finebaum said. 

Clemson has a bye week before facing Duke on Nov. 1 (Noon ET, ACCN). 

More college football news: 

• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Four coaches on the hottest seats in the 2025 college football season
• Was Adidas behind James Franklin's firing? Penn State breaks silence on rumor
• Bill Belichick and UNC didn't want a quarterback who's now tearing up the ACC
• Tim Tebow sends clear message to Texas Longhorns about Arch Manning