Brian Kelly just beat Dabo Swinney again, this time in the media

It's been a rough week for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. Maybe not a "Bill Belichick getting whomped by 34 in his college debut" kind of rough, but for a team with actual playoff aspirations, this isn't how Clemson wanted to start the year.

First the Tigers were shut out in the second half at home by LSU in their opening game of the season, giving up a 10-3 halftime lead to lose 17-10. Star QB Cade Klubnik completed only 50 percent of his passes while throwing for 230 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, seemingly extinguishing his Heisman Trophy candidacy before it even began.

Clemson also lost at home to rival South Carolina in last season's regular season finale, which means they've now dropped two straight home contests for the first time since Swinney took over the program as the full-time head coach in 2009.

To rub salt in the wound, Clemson not only got beaten on the field, they've now also been roasted at the podium after LSU head coach Brian Kelly lit up Dabo for an unfortunate comment he made.

Swinney was trying to be complimentary when he compared playing LSU to taking a final exam, but he erased any goodwill he may have earned from his opponent when he gave each team a D for their performance. He knows better than anyone that other teams just don't march into Memorial Stadium and come out with a win very often, and given that he also said that "our biggest issue with LSU is that our best player didn't play well," you'd think he'd give LSU's defense some credit for keeping Klubnik in check.

Kelly was understandably fired up after winning a season-opener for the first time since leaving Notre Dame to take the LSU job, and he shot back at Dabo in his own presser:

Brian Kelly got the last laugh twice on Dabo Swinney

Kelly wasn't having it, saying, "We dominated them in the second half, so he's either a really good grader for giving himself a 58, or he's a really hard grader on us. Or he didn't see the second half, which that might be the case, he might not have wanted to see the second half."

Shots fired from the bayou! What's so funny is that Dabo wasn't even trying to give LSU a backhanded compliment; he was just lamenting that, like most teams in their opening game, Clemson wasn't sharp at all coming out of the gate. LSU did win only by seven, so it's fair to say that even though they earned the win in a hostile environment, they also have room for improvement. No matter to Kelly, who felt the need to give Dabo one last parting gift on top of the L he already handed him.

College football is at its best when it's spicy, and so this back-and-forth was a nice way to really usher in the season. What would make it even better is if Clemson and LSU find a way to meet again in the College Football Playoff for an actual final exam at the end of the season, a distinct possibility since 12 teams will once again make the field.

Under Swinney, Clemson made the Playoff six straight years from 2016-21, winning two national championships in that time. They then went three straight years without a CFP appearance, though they did make the field last year before being knocked out by Texas in the first round.

The heat has been on Kelly since he came to Baton Rouge, as he's yet to make the Playoff. Wins in the Texas Bowl, Reliaquest Bowl and Citrus Bowl aren't exactly what LSU fans signed up for when he was brought in, but if his clapback at Dabo is any indication, he may be confident that his team can make a real run this year. There's a long season ahead, but a Clemson-LSU rematch in the CFP would make for a heck of a Christmas present.