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CLEMSON -- Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media Tuesday during his weekly news conference, this time to look ahead to Saturday's matchup with N.C. State (4-4, 1-3) in Raleigh, N.C.

The No. 4-ranked Tigers (9-0, 6-0) are a 32-point favorite over the Wolfpack. The two teams will face one another in a 7:30 p.m. game televised nationally by ABC.

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The following is an edited, condensed transcript of Dabo Swinney's Tuesday news conference.

OPENING STATEMENTS: "It's always a challenge to go up to Raleigh. It's never easy up there. It has been a grind. Dave Doeren is a great coach, it's a well-coached team. They have had a lot of injuries this year, but this is a tough, physical team. They scheme as good as anybody we play year in and year out. It's really a tough task to play there. Their crowd, they show up. It's a tough environment.

"Offensively, they have had some transition at quarterback. I assume their freshman will be the guy there. They'll also do some wildcat stuff. Their offensive line is the strength of their offense. Schematically, the shifts and motions and creating tips and mismatches, that's going to be a challenge. They're a big stretch team. They're also eighth in the country in punt return. They have some young guys at wideout. They're a team that will continue to improve.

"We are going to have to do a great job of communicating and picking up their pressures. They're going to pressure. They don't sit back. They are going to attack you and challenge you. They're going to bring pressure almost 50-percent of the time. They force you to make plays. We did not run the ball well on them last year. We were about 2.9 a carry. We have to improve in that area in this game. They're good up front, too.

"For us, going up there, it's about execution. We're excited to be 9-0. We want to get that 10th win. We want to win our division. If we do that, little things lead to big things. If you win the division trophy, you get a chance to win a bigger trophy."

Q: Is this one of the weirdest seasons you've seen in terms of preparing for so many quarterbacks?

SWINNEY: "Yes. Florida State has been that way. BC, their quarterback has been hurt. They still found a way to win games. Steve Addazio doesn't get the credit he deserves. Same thing this past weekend with N.C. State. They do what they do. They're not very different. They're going to call their offense regardless."

Q: What's the change you've seen in Travis Etienne, given what he has accomplished in recent weeks?

SWINNEY: "He played terrible at North Carolina, but he's had a great year. He played well in the first four. He just had a bad day up at North Carolina. He has played at a high level. He has kind of refocused. The open date was good for him. It's amazing what he's been able to do. To see what he has done is pretty special. He's done this in two years and nine games. He's just so explosive. He's still developing. His best football is still in front of him. He has become more of an all-around player. He likes to be coached. He never says a word, never complains about anything. He just shows up and has become a leader."

Q: You talked about exceeding 100 players getting on the field a couple of times this year. Ever been around that before?

SWINNEY: "No. Coaches get in a comfort zone. I don't think everybody works hard enough on it. I just think it is important. I think it's a big deal. I want everyone to be a part of it. When I was coming up, we had 150 on the team and we sat in the stands. You work all week and practice, then you don't even dress for the game. It was a goal for me as a young walk-on ... just to get in the game. It's awesome to get your name called out. I set my sights higher. The next year I ended up making the rotation and lettering and getting on the second team. Those game reps are huge, the opportunities players get. It keeps everyone engaged. Everyone is accountable."

Q: Clemson has played up there on Halloween, there has been overtime, laptops, stolen towels, etc. What is it about this rivalry?

SWINNEY: "It's the Textile Bowl. It goes way back. There's a trophy getting handed out after this game. I guess we'll load it up and take it up there. I assume Abe Reed or someone will get it and take it up there with us. It's the history. N.C. State has been really good. Goodness ... they've had some players, a bunch of really good players. I think Dave and them do a great job. They're a well-coached team. They play tough, physical and it's a team that is dangerous. They are unpredictable. They're young. We have to play well and be locked in. It's also a tough place to play."

Q: Who do they remind you of in terms of who have you faced so far?

SWINNEY: "They're a little bit of everything. They have some option principles. They are multiple. They'll get in 10, 11, 12. They're a spread team. They run more outside zone, true stretch. They run more max protection maybe."

Q: Tonight wherever Clemson winds up in the CFP rankings, it won't matter to you, correct?

SWINNEY: "No. If we lose to N.C. State, we won't celebrate where we are in the poll. We just need to focus on what we can control. I can't focus on people's opinions. I have no idea where they will rank us. We have a chance. If we stay focused and committed and do the things that win this time of year, we will be in the conversation. What if we're No. 1? What are we going to do tonight? Have a parade? That stuff doesn't matter. Not worth the brain cells. We're going to work."

Q: How difficult is it to keep young players on that path, that focus?

SWINNEY: "It's very difficult because of the world that we live in. It's a stimulated world. They get questions constantly, social media, dealing with media and the questions that come up. It's hard. But I'm thankful for the culture we have established here and the leadership we have been able to build year in and year out."

Q: You've heard people mock your schedule. Do you bake that in at all to your substitution plan and style points?

SWINNEY: "If I were thinking about that, do you think Travis Etienne would have had the carries he had last week? I couldn't care less. That rhetoric? We've played the same schedule since I've been head coach here. We've played the same conference schedule and two SEC teams. Every year ... it's we don't play anybody. We've become a dominant team in the postseason and now they're saying that's because we don't play anybody in the season. I just laugh. It's the same old spin.

"Who has beat Alabama in the SEC? Who? How many games have they lost in the last five years in their conference? It's not many, but yet we have had a great run in our conference and it's because no one else is any good, right? I can't control what other people think. We've had the most bowl teams the last three years of any conference in college football. But nobody talks about that. It's laughable. It's great. It creates a lot of excitement. For us, we just stay locked in on what we can control. We're excited to play anybody that we can play. We've had a lot of great moments here against a lot of great teams. We just worry about Clemson."

Q: The success you've had, are you surprised that the narrative hasn't changed?

SWINNEY: "No. We needed a network, I guess (smiling). We finally got one for the ACC. All these other networks talk about their leagues. That's what they should do. We've been successful without a network. We've got some people sitting around talking about the ACC all the time and in a positive way. The last six years the ACC has won three national titles."

Q: K'Von Wallace has picked up an interception against NCSU in each of the last three years. How has he developed for you in his final year?

SWINNEY: "He has. He's tough, physical and gritty. I'd love to see if he could get a pick against N.C. State for the fourth straight year. He has gotten better every year. He's more confident and more experienced. He's making plays. He's a physical tackler. He's a good player. He'll make it at the next level for sure. He's what you want your program to be about. He's become a good leader for us. He's durable and stays healthy. That's a reflection of how he takes care of himself. He's a winner. He's got the mindset."

Q: Did you recognize last January just how big it was going to be for Isaiah Simmons to come back?

SWINNEY: "Yeah. Yeah. He would have been a second or third round guy last year. He has a chance to be a top 10 pick if he can finish. He's special. He's the poster child for why you come back. He didn't want to go up there and redshirt. He needed to develop some more and that's what he has done. I'm super proud of him. He's the most unique guy I've had defensively. Same thing with K'Von and Muse.

"Muse has helped himself as much as anyone. He needed to become more consistent. He's going to have to play in the box at the next level. His physicality and ability in that Boston College game was unbelievable. He's very smart and has great instincts for the game. He's also a great special teams player. He can run, too. He's got a bright future."

Q: What was your reaction when you first heard the narrative that you beat Alabama last year because they were tired?

SWINNEY: "I just laughed. We were the better team that day. And they were a great team. The year before they were the better team. They just whipped us. We could have won the game but we didn't play well enough and didn't deserve it. There aren't any excuses. We just got beat."

Q: Where do you stand on Friday night college games?

SWINNEY: "I don't like them. I don't have a vote and don't get to say. I like high school ball and I like seeing my sons play. Television dictates all of that. I don't sit around and worry about it, but I'm not a fan. I've brought it up. It's been brought up a thousand times over the last decade. But it's not something we have control over."

Q: As someone who was under a lot of pressure in year two as a coach, what do you take from seeing the change at Florida State that quickly?

SWINNEY: "I'm not there. So I don't know. Whomever is making those decisions, they know more than I know. I'm just glad they didn't fire me after 21 games. I would have been real cheap to fire. I didn't even read my first contract. I had no idea what was in my first contract. I didn't have a buyout. I think I had some longevity fund or something. I'm just thankful to Terry Don Phillips that he believed in me. There's no magic wand especially if you're going to do it right. We're not going to sign junior college players and transfers. We're going to build a program and create a culture. And that's not easy.

"We did win the division the first year so that was exciting. We had a tough year my second year, but we were competing and getting better. It takes time. First 21 games I was 13-8 as a head coach. Sometimes you have to be patient. Having said that, I don't know what the situation is down there. I don't know why people make the decisions they do. That's the world we are in now. And coaches know that."

Q: What do you think Spiller would do in this offense?

SWINNEY: "Travis has tied Spiller's touchdown record and he broke James Davis' rushing record. I think Travis - 50 yards or more - has nine touchdowns. Spiller had 21. He had 21 plays of 50 yards or more. He was so explosive. I don't know that we had a true appreciation of how good he was. If he were in this deal? Oh man. His all-purpose is a record in the ACC. It's unbelievable what Spiller was able to do. Spiller was a Swiss Army knife. He beat you in so many ways.

"Travis is more blue-collar. He's not quite Swiss Army. He's a flat head screwdriver, but man he's a player. C.J. was about 195 here. Travis is 208. He's going to be a great player for a long time. Durable. Tough. Spiller ran around them and by them. Travis just runs through them and it's yards after contact."

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