Dabo Swinney needs Clemson to just focus on one thing after loss to Georgia Tech

It has been a tough start to the season for head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.

In fact, it's been about as bad as can be.

The Tigers are 1-2 after losses to LSU and Georgia Tech. Sandwiched in between those two L's was a 27-16 win against Troy, but even in that game, Clemson was trailing 16-3 heading into halftime.

This isn't the Clemson team that we're used to seeing under Swinney, and it's heading down a dark path. The Tigers started the season ranked No. 4 in the country. Now, they're not even in the top 25.

Things have a way of quickly unraveling in college football when things aren't going well, and even a somewhat weak ACC schedule may not be enough to save Clemson from a free-fall. 

Dabo Swinney needs the Clemson Tigers to stick together 

It's up to Swinney to turn things around. That's what he gets paid the big bucks for, right?

He knows that. He has to know that. His team is hanging by a thread, and more than anything, he has to get it right mentally.

That's why he implored his team to band together after the 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech.

“I know there’ll be a lot of criticism, a lot of negativity, all that stuff that comes with it. But the important thing is our team has to stay away from that and stay together. None of that outside noise is going to help us. We’ve just got to find a way to win a game this week," Swinney said in his postgame news conference (h/t On3). 

Even 2-1 Syracuse in Week 4 could be a challenge. The Orange gave Tennessee a battle in Week 1 in a 45-26 loss, and Tennessee is a much better team than Clemson is right now.

Syracuse also has a quarterback in former Notre Dame signal-caller Steve Angeli who can sling the rock. Through three games, he's thrown for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions. That's a 357.33 yards-per-game average.

Things can go from bad to nearly unfixable for Clemson with another loss. There are several teams that very well could be College Football Playoff contenders in the ACC, including Miami, the Georgia Tech team that just beat Clemson and maybe Florida State.

If the Tigers keep falling behind, there's a realistic chance they may not be able to catch up. That's what makes sticking together and rallying around taking it one week at a time so important for Swinney's team right now.

There's urgency to turn this thing around, but Clemson also can't get ahead of its skis.

“We’ve got a long way to go — that’s it. We’ve got a long way to go," Swinney said. "This is competition, and there are no quitters in that locker room. There’s no quit in me, that’s for sure. We’ll simply find a way to win a game next week.”