Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney just accomplished an incredible feat. Swinney passed Florida State legend Bobby Bowden on the list of most ACC wins by a football coach, per ESPN. Clemson defeated Florida State on Saturday, 29-13.

“Never in my imagination would I think 16 years later we'd be sitting here having this conversation,” Swinney said. “I'm just thankful but honestly my name may be on the list, but ain't nobody better than Bobby Bowden. That's just a fact. He's amazing, and honestly if I could just have half the impact on my players lives that Bobby Bowden had on his, then I would have lived a good life of purpose.”

The Clemson football coach now has 174 ACC wins in his tenure with the Tigers. Like Bowden, Swinney has won a national championship and ACC championship. The Clemson coach says he even has a picture of Bowden hanging in his office.

Clemson football is having one of the best years the team has seen since Trevor Lawrence left for the NFL. The Tigers are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 College Football poll.

“We've got a chance. But we've just got to continue to stay hungry, stay humble, keep preparing the way we need to,” Swinney added.

Clemson is moving up, Florida State down in the ACC standings

Sep 23, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before a game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images
© Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Clemson football is in the running for an ACC championship this season. The Tigers are 4-1 this season and undefeated in the ACC. Their sole loss was a tough drubbing at the hands of Georgia. Swinney wants to see more consistency as his team moves forward this season.

“You've got to create the consistency,” Swinney added. “You've got to keep going. We've won four games. That's it. You ain't gonna be a great team with four wins. You've got to keep going. If they've got the courage to continue, then we'll have a chance. We've got the ingredients. We've got a really good quarterback playing at a high level, we're playing well in the trenches, we've got some explosiveness, our special teams is showing up.”

Things are going in the opposite direction for Florida State. The Seminoles are now 1-5 and look to be in shambles, after starting the season ranked in the top 10. The Seminoles are now in danger of having a losing record to finish the year, which is something that almost never happened when Bowden was running things. Things have gone south for that program since getting snubbed last year out of the College Football Playoff.

Clemson football next plays at Wake Forest on Saturday.