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In general, bowl games probably have excessive influence over perceptions that last an entire offseason.

But it's safe to say that the 26-21 Gator Bowl defeat to Nebraska in Dabo Swinney's first game as the non-interim head coach was a "not so fast my friend" moment for the Tigers.

A 31-14 trouncing of South Carolina in the regular-season finale played a major role in getting Swinney the job, and it created abundant hope that Clemson would never look back under their new leader.

Then they squandered a 21-10 lead in Jacksonville and watched the Cornhuskers totally shut down their running game.

So the bottom line at the time, despite all the fuzzy vibes that came upon Swinney's hiring, was that this program still had a ways to go.