CLEMSON, S.C. – Dabo Swinney has it all planned out.

He's not the first coach to design his program's every move, down to the minute, months in advance.

It's just that, as part of that preparation, it should be noted that Clemson's coach is openly planning a national championship parade.

Each summer, Swinney settles in and jots down the program's direction, day by day, hour by hour, line item by line item. It's a 13-month calendar that deals with everything from meetings to practice to where the Tigers are going to be on Jan. 13.

According to Swinney's day planner, that would be in New Orleans for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

"Oh yeah," Swinney told CBS Sports recently, "it says we're playing to win. Already got the parade on there and everything. It's what we do. We've always done it that way."

Before you knee-jerk into claims of arrogance or hubris, think about it. Whether you're working inside the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex or shelling out big bucks to sit in Memorial Stadium, isn't that exactly what you want your coach's expectation to be for his team?

"There's a lot of order, a lot of peace that comes with knowing the plan," Swinney said. "There's a comfort that goes with that."

Swinney sat down with CBS Sports to discuss what it's like to be on top of the college football mountain and how difficult it is to stay there. One-third of the way through his 11th season as Clemson's coach, it's clear the 49-year-old native of Birmingham, Alabama, is more than comfortable.

He'll never say the program is on cruise control, but try to name another that is this close to autopilot.

Clemson's chief foe, Alabama is playing four freshmen on defense and relying on a pass-heavy offense. Georgia's ascent continues after the Notre Dame win, but it first must beat Bama to get to the next level. Oklahoma had a seamless transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley. The same goes for the early days of Ryan Day in his rookie year as Ohio State coach.

The one thing those teams all have in common? They're all chasing Clemson.

Right now, Swinney has been doing it longer and better to the point that the D-word must be mentioned: dynasty. Another unbeaten campaign -- well, at least in the regular season -- looks likely. A moribund ACC begs the question: Will any of their remaining opponents get within three touchdowns of the Tigers?

Clemson has already beaten 38 of its last 41 ACC opponents by an average of more than 21 points.

That raises another question that has bugged greats from Knute Rockne to Nick Saban: How difficult is it to defend a championship?

Winning consecutive titles has been accomplished by three coaches since 1980 -- Saban, Tom Osborne and Pete Carroll. This is Swinney's second shot at a repeat, an accomplishment seldom referenced in the run up to the 2019 season.

But this is where we stand. Swinney, 18 years younger than Saban, is four championships behind him. That climb doesn't seem insurmountable with Clemson playing in the last four College Football Playoffs.

"You start over. You don't take anything for granted," Swinney explained. "You don't assume anything. You reinstall everything as if no one knows anything. You don't cut corners."

Swinney added that he teaches a history class each year. When asked about how, when and what the student attendance looks like, the coach quickly interjects.

"I'm a history professor -- in the spring, the fall, the winter, the summer -- of Clemson football," Swinney said. "I make sure they know their history."

That would be the 120 or so players he has led to 19 straight victories. If the Tigers run the table again, the 31-game winning streak would tie for the eighth-longest in history.

The only other programs to win three titles in four years are Nebraska (1994-95, 1997) and Alabama (2009, 2011-12). Clemson could become the third.

USATSI

The Clemson machine is off to a relatively quiet start in 2019. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence leads the ACC in interceptions (five). The only high-profile opponent the Tigers played, Texas A&M, was dispatched in workmanlike -- not spectacular -- fashion, 24-10.

"We've been so hard on these guys," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "We have not let them breath one ounce. … Coach Swinney is a fabulous leader in regards to having the focus be here and now, constantly bombarding to almost the point you're picking on them."

Alone in his office, Swinney is surrounded by the spoils of victory -- awards, pictures, all matter of stuffed and statued Tigers. Posted inside a custom South Carolina state highway sign is the number "44." It is next to a similar Alabama highway sign adored with "16."

Feel free to insert your own speed-limit analogy to Clemson's beating of Alabama in last year's CFP National Championship.

This year's incentives include lots of folks expecting Clemson to win again. There are 41 new players who have to learn how to win on their own.

"They don't know anything," Swinney said. "There are 80 freshmen and sophomores. I tell them, 'Don't rent, invest.' They get invested in who we are and then they pass the torch."

That torch is being passed across the country. Clemson landed a commitment from DJ Uiagalelei, the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2020. Swinney said Uiagalelei is only the second player from California that he has signed.

The first is current freshman receiver Joseph Ngata.

"He's a beast," Swinney said. "He'll probably leave here probably as good as we've had."

Clemson's traditional recruiting grounds (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida) have expanded. As the program becomes a national brand, a wider assortment of recruits are calling wanting to be a part of something special.

It doesn't matter where Clemson is located. Swinney has commitments from four of the top 17 players in the Class of 2020, according to 247Sports. Overall No. 1 recruit defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is from Maryland. Swinney beat out Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State and Arkansas for Uiagalelei.

"Something I never really thought about, like Joseph Ngata. His whole life … he knows nothing but Clemson winning. That's all he knows," Swinney said.

They don't know it's been a steady climb to the top. They don't know Swinney's coaching chops were questioned his first couple of years, even when he was playing for the ACC title in two of his first three seasons.

They certainly don't know about "Clemsoning" or how

Swinney evaluated the turning point: the 2015 season that ended with a five-point loss to Alabama in the CFP National Championship

"We found out we were good enough," Swinney said. "We probably had a better team that year than the team that won it."

You listening, Nick?

The fact is that here isn't much bluster or bravado out of Clemson. Swinney's belief in Christian values have been chronicled. He scoffs at the perception that the Crimson Tide and Tigers have separated themselves from the pack.

"I have to prove I deserve this job," Swinney said. "Every day the staff walks into this building, I say, 'You have to prove to me you deserve your job.' "

There is no mention of Swinney being the game's highest-paid coach of all time. It's clear he's earned some measure of that $92 million. The football facility is state of the art. When the subject of analysts on the staff is brought up, Swinney quickly shoots down comparisons to Alabama.

"We're not at that level," he said. "[Saban's] got guys for guys, and they're all making money."

One prominent former coach wanted to volunteer here. State rules mandate that assistants either get paid or go to graduate school. There are no volunteers. So the coach paid for his own school becoming a "grad intern." The coach didn't want to be identified so as not to distract from what's happening on the field.

Clemson is what coaches call an open program. Swinney welcomes high school and college staffs that want to visit the factory in the offseason to see where championships are made.

"My philosophy is, you can't just come here and withdraw [knowledge]," Swinney said. "You gotta make some deposits, too."

Swinney strips the program down to the studs each summer. The staff encamps at Memorial Stadium for five business days, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There are no phones. Food is catered in.

"I reinstall the program as if we all just met," Swinney said. "Like strangers coming together."

That's about the time the calendar for the next 13 months is laid out.

"The only thing that could really change is if we don't go to the national championship," Swinney said. "So if we're not in the national championship, a normal bowl or something like that, I would adjust the calendar."

Don't be insulted, college football. It says -- as the coach has been known to affirm -- Clemson is playing to win.