Dabo Swinney
Running off at the typewriter
might have supplanted FSU’s Jimbo Fisher as the best coach in the ACC, writes Mike Bianchi.
There is no question FSU coach Jimbo Fisher is one of the best in college football, but now we have to ask if he is even the best bo-suffixed coach in the ACC. That is the question after Clemson coach Dabo Swinney beat Alabama for the national title Monday night in his second consecutive trip to the championship game. Ironically, both Jimbo and Dabo replaced Bowdens (Jimbo following Bobby Bowden at FSU and Dabo following Tommy Bowden at Clemson), rebuilt fading programs and won national titles with transcendent quarterbacks (see Jameis Winston and Deshaun Watson). Jimbo has a slightly better winning percentage
(.802 to .761), but Dabo has had more recent success.
If I were choosing right now, I’d take Dabo simply because I believe it’s harder to win and recruit to Clemson than it is to FSU. Then again, if Jimbo wins the national title next season (and FSU will almost certainly be ranked among the top three or four teams in the preseason polls) then I’ll jump back on the Jimbo bandwagon.
In other words, it’s neck and neck between Dabo and Jimbo. Maybe we should just call it a bo-tie.
SHORT STUFF: Congratulations to Penny Hardaway for getting inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame, but I guess this ruins Brian Hill’s chance of ever getting in. … Magic coach Frank Vogel pulled Nikola Vucevic out of the starting lineup and took Mario Hezonja out of the playing rotation earlier this season because his team was playing so badly. Now Vucevic is back in the starting lineup and Hezonja is back in the rotation because the Magic are still playing badly. I’m starting to get the idea that Vogel is like the guy whose flashlight has dead batteries but he doesn’t have any new ones to replace them with. And so all he can do is rearrange the dead batteries, replace them and hope the light miraculously comes on. …
The best move the Jaguars ever made was bringing in Tom Coughlin to build the franchise. The second-best move they ever made was bringing him back to rebuild it. … This just in: The real reason Carl Edwards is stepping away from NASCAR is to spend more time with Urban Meyer’s family. …
Hey, I’m not saying Sean McVay is too young to be the head coach of the L.A. Rams, but who else celebrates a new job by partying at Chuck E. Cheese? And word is McVay won’t drive to his new office; he’ll just skateboard. … What President Trump should have said: “Meryl Streep is so ‘overrated’ she should join the SEC.” … Did you see where Steve
Spurrier and Peyton Manning — both recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame — stood side by side at midfield during the coin toss of the Alabama-Clemson national-championship game? I’m just wondering if Spurrier turned to Peyton and said, “Hey, Citrus Bowl, glad to see you finally made it to a national-title game.” …
Can you believe somebody actually changed the famous Hollywood sign to read “Hollyweed”? I guess now we know what became of Ricky Williams. … If Bo knew then what Bo knows now, Bo Jackson told USA Today, “I would have never played football.” Wow, if that’s not an indictment of America’s favorite sport, then what is? When a Heisman Trophy winner and arguably the greatest pure athlete of our lifetime says he would never allow his kids to play football, that’s the most punishing blow Bo has delivered since he flattened Brian Bosworth on “Monday Night Football.” … I guess you could say Derrick Rose has become a thorny issue for the Knicks.
MIKEY LIKES: Seahawks over Falcons by 3, Patriots over Texans by 14, Chiefs over Steelers by 5, Cowboys over Packers by 7, L.A. over San Diego by 2 relocated franchises (see Clippers and Chargers). … I knew Lane Kiffin was a good recruiter, but I didn’t know he was good enough to recruit UCF great Kevin Smith off Scott Frost’s coaching staff and onto FAU’s staff.
LAST WORD: “Congratulations are in order for the Clemson Tigers, who won the college football championship. They upset Alabama 35-31. Which was also the blood-alcohol content of most Clemson fans after the game.” — Jimmy Kimmel
E-mail me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Follow me on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to my radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on FM 96.9 and AM 740.