Special title for Tigers’ Swinney

MIAMI GARDENS — As he stood in the middle of a jubilant Clemson locker room following the Tigers’ win in the Orange Bowl Thursday night, Dabo Swinney wasn’t ready to start thinking about his team’s next challenge.

“It’s special whoever we play,” a beaming Swinney told reporters following his team’s 37-17 win over Oklahoma in the first semifinal game of the College Football Playoff. “It would be unique if it was against Alabama.”

He got his wish after Alabama defeated Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl later in the evening.

So the College Football Playoff National Championship Game is set, with Clemson (14-0) taking on Alabama (13-1) at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 11. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.

Swinney’s roots run deep into the Alabama soil, with the coach born and raised in Birmingham. He attended the University of Alabama, where he walked on to the football team and later won a national championship in 1992. Swinney would remain a fixture with the program, starting out as a graduate assistant before working his way up to wide receivers coach. He was let go in 2000 after head coach Gene Stallings was fired.