www.roanoke.com

Like Clemson's other skill players, running back C.J. Spiller wears a wristband that proclaims, "It is time in '09."

Not that wristbands are great at predicting the future. Spiller still wears his "Great in '08" wristband from last season.

The Tigers were far from great last season, when they failed to live up to the preseason hype. Coach Tommy Bowden was forced out after a 3-3 start. Assistant Dabo Swinney was promoted to interim coach.

The interim tag was removed from Swinney's title in December, prior to a Gator Bowl loss to Nebraska on New Year's Day that left Clemson with a 7-6 record.

Tiger fans hope Swinney, 39, can do what Bowden never could: Guide the team to an ACC title.

"It's not about proving yourself," Swinney said this week at the ACC's preseason media gathering in Greensboro, N.C. "It's about just trying to do the best job that you can. At the end of the day, if I can look myself in the mirror and know that I did the very best that I could, than I can live with whatever the results are."

Spiller also wears a pink wristband that proclaims "All In" -- the theme of the Swinney regime. It means players must do the right thing on the field and off.

Players have responded to Swinney's enthusiasm.

"Coach Swinney, he brings a lot of energy to our team," Spiller said. "Coach Bowden, he let his assistants really earn their paycheck.

"Coach Bowden kind of [had a] low voice. Coach Swinney has that more high-pitched voice, always yelling at guys."

Swinney said he was able to make more of a stamp on the program in the offseason than he did as interim coach.

Last fall did give Swinney a chance to win over the players, though.

"That experience last year, although I would never want to do that again, was invaluable," Swinney said. "You had six weeks to plant some seeds and to kind of go through the fires with some of these kids.

"To go through the fire with them, ... hopefully that's helped me as far as being their leader and maybe having a little more credibility."

The Tigers have lost NFL Draft pick James Davis, the second-leading rusher in Clemson history. But they do return Spiller, who had 1,770 all-purpose yards last fall.

The big question is who will succeed quarterback Cullen Harper, who threw for 2,601 yards as a senior last year. Swinney must choose between Willy Korn and Kyle Parker, adding to the pressure of his job.

"I wish I had Tim Tebow -- somebody that y'all [would] be mad because somebody didn't vote for him as the top player -- making my job a lot easier," Swinney said. "There's enough stress with it as it is. ... Now I've got to figure out who the quarterback is, which is what everybody wants to talk about."

Swinney chose a defensive coordinator in the offseason, hiring ex-Baylor head coach Kevin Steele, who was most recently an Alabama assistant.

"He has a very aggressive temperament," Swinney said. "He fits me, he fits Clemson."