Look Smithers, Dabo is coming.

Throw out the fact that college football is out of control. Throw out the fact that it has become big business. Throw out the fact that intercollegiate athletics at the highest level is as much about student athlete as politics is about public service. Throw out the fact that it is win or go home, that coaches are paid more than the President, and that graduation rates, clean recruiting practices, and minimal off the field problems mean absolutely nothing if you do not meet expectations.

Throwing all of that out, Clemson did the right thing. Not only did they do the right thing, they did the shrewd thing. Now, the shrewd thing is not always the least expensive thing, but it is still the best way to go for all business decisions. And that is what this was, a business decision.

Anyone who watched Clemson play Wake could see very easily that this team was lost. The comments of some players only speak further to the fact that the team was fractured. When that happens, it's time to move on, and move on quickly. (And by the way Cullen Harper, you meant what you said, so don’t try to backpedal. Perhaps you and your dad need to think about the fact that the guy did give you a scholarship to a reputable university and the opportunity to play Division I football. Whatever your opinions are, you should confine them to the locker room and not text them to an ESPN reporter. One of the first rules of team is to keep everything in the locker room. Just as when players are suspended “for violating team policy” and the coach doesn’t come out and say what really happened.)

What Clemson did is allow themselves to be on the market before anyone else is. Interested coaches will now have their agents talk to Clemson. The negotiation process can begin without distraction. Clemson can position themselves with prospective coaches much earlier than other schools in their boat.

By placing Swinney in charge, the recruiting will largely be unaffected. At the most, they will lose a couple kids. Swinney is the recruiting guy anyway and with Scott still around, most of the recruiting contacts will remain intact.

In the meantime, Clemson is in the garden spot. If Swinney does well, they keep him and keep most of the staff in place without losing continuity. If he does poorly, they make use of the networking they build from now until season’s end to find a replacement – who will probably keep Swinney. It’s truly a win win situation.

The only thing that can hurt Clemson is if they go into a total nosedive that affects recruiting. Also, if Tennessee and Auburn are looking for a coach at the end of the year, they may be in danger of getting third pick. But even taking all of that into account, all of those alternatives are better than where they were.

Oh, and if you get the headline reference, you’re a sick person.