Clemson didn’t turn the ball over, the Tiger defense overwhelmed a Duke offense without its offensive leader and C.J. Spiller was – well, C.J. Spiller in Saturday’s 31-7 workman-like dismantling of the Blue Devils. The Tigers’ wins over Boston College and Duke in interim head coach Dabo Swinney’s brief audition, however, have become increasingly secondary in Clemson conversation, taking a backseat to talk of online flight plans, rumors, wild speculation and the search for the next head coach.

Swinney, while wildly popular, is being quickly discounted by many as too green and perhaps too gimmicky to consistently win at the level expected at Clemson University. Despite the fire in his belly, the inception of the Tiger Walk and the adoption of a motivational philosophy that has caught on like wildfire with “All In,” there is the understandable concern that Swinney very well could be too much of a risk as the permanent head coach for the Tigers.

He’s young, inexperienced and hasn’t even a single coordinator post on his resume.

One thing Tiger fans, in their fervor for or against Swinney must realize, is the fact that all head coaching candidates are risky. There are no guarantees, ever.

Name a single head coaching candidate, from the realistic and hot names like Will Muschamp, Brent Venables and Bud Foster, to the completely “out there” rumors like Bill Cowher and Bob Stoops, and I’ll give you a “negative.” Since there is always going to be a perceived con to every pro in an analysis of candidates, there are consequently risks there as well.

Muschamp is the sexy pick with his aggression and impressive coordinator experience. Of course, do Clemson fans want to spend big money on a guy with no head coaching experience and with little idea of what the Tigers would do with the ball? Same with the Venables. Lest we forget as well, that these two defensive geniuses boast defenses that have not been stellar as a whole this season.

Sure, it’s the offense-dominated Big XII, in which I doubt many defenses would do well every week, but it still lends to my point – there are risks to every candidate.

Bud Foster is a guy who would be a great fit at Clemson. Foster espouses a physical, hardnosed defensive philosophy, but hasn’t won a head coaching spot in more than a decade as one of the premiere coordinators in the nation. What gives?

How much money would a Cowher or Stoops want? How long would they stay? Is Kiffin’s west-coast personality a fit for deep-South football? Is candidate ‘X’ too old and burnt out? Is candidate ‘Z’ too young and green?

Certainly you get the point. For every great candidate, which includes Dabo Swinney, there are a myriad of reasons you can come up with to discount him.

Perhaps outsiders who can do nothing more than speculate on Terry Don Phillips’ reasons, criteria and overall hiring plan should not be so instinctively dismissive of every name that comes up.

One thing is certain – come December, there will be a new permanent head coach of the Clemson football team, and there will be plenty who will not be satisfied. But will the fickle Tiger faithful throw full support behind that man anyway? Will there be one Clemson behind Muschamp? Kiffin? Foster? Swinney? That’s vital.

For no matter how long Swinney is around, if Clemson folks aren’t “all in,” a month from now, they can anticipate more seasons like this one.