Dabo Swinney Endorses College Football Having Preseason Games

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney believes preseason games make a lot of sense in college football.

There's been some growing momentum to shake things up ahead of the regular season. One of the interesting plans floated by Hugh Freeze is for teams to play other in-state teams in a preseason game.

Dabo Swinney is all for putting the pads on against other teams for preseason matchups.

"I’d love it. I’ve said that a million years. I’d love to play somebody in the fall. We’re the only level of football that doesn’t get a chance to scrimmage somebody – even the pros," Swinney told the press when talking about possibly having preseason games, according to On3.

Even preseason games can't happen, Swinney would also settle for joint practices like what's done in the NFL.

"It’d be nice to bring somebody in and do some 1-on-1s against somebody else. I’ve said that for years. Every time you take a snap on a day, you’re 100 percent invested. If anybody grabs an ankle, they’re yours. You’ve got 22 on the field every single snap," the two-time national champion further explained.

Is Dabo Swinney on the right track when it comes to preseason games?

It definitely seems like there's growing momentum for teams to play each other ahead of the regular season, either in the spring or perhaps in August.

While spring games are fun, Clemson playing an actual game against an opponent that is trying is definitely going to generate a lot of interest.

However, there's also a very obvious drawback. How much is a team going to want to show in a preseason game? A team is definitely not going to open the playbook for a game that doesn't matter.

That means fans will more or less get a sanitized/vanilla experience. It would still be likely better than the current format for college football, which is nothing of the sort.

College football is still probably years away from having preseason action, but it's a fun conversation to watch grow. As we've seen with NIL and the transfer portal, change is definitely possible. Are preseason games next? It can't be ruled out.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.