The Scotland centre, however, believes Friday night's hard-fought victory over Ulster provided the perfect preparation for the knockout stages.
Glasgow were pushed all the way at Affidea Stadium before Kyle Rowe's late try, three minutes from full-time, secured a 26-22 win and confirmed Franco Smith's side as the top seeds heading into the quarter-finals.
Speaking exclusively to Scotland Rugby News in Belfast, McDowall told Scotland Rugby News: "There's no better game to come and prepare yourself for playing rugby than coming to a really tough place like this.
"We really had to dig in, especially at the end. The first game of last season, we lost that at the end.
"We referenced that a little bit during the week and we haven't won here in a while so it's really special for us."
Attention will now switch to Glasgow's home quarter-final against Ulster, who booked their own place in the last eight by defeating Edinburgh Rugby on Friday. But McDowall stressed it was important for the Warriors to recognise the significance of topping the standings.
Glasgow lifted the URC title in 2024 after finishing fourth and overcoming difficult away trips to Munster and the Bulls during the play-offs. This time, they head into the knockouts with home advantage - although McDowall warned that counts for nothing at this stage of the competition.
"I think the accomplishment of finishing top of this competition shouldn't be overlooked, but it doesn't guarantee a single thing.
"We can't go into a quarter-final thinking because we finish top of the log we'll automatically go through it. It's one game at a time and we'll put our head down.
"We've been chucked out of quarter-finals in this competition before at home so we only have to look internally for our motivation."
While Glasgow would undoubtedly have preferred to be preparing for a Champions Cup final this weekend, McDowall admitted the break may ultimately benefit a squad carrying plenty of bumps and bruises after a bruising contest in Belfast.
"We've got a chance to get some boys right and get some good trainings under our belt," he said.
Glasgow also may be without Scotland forward Gregor Brown for the remainder of the campaign. Brown lasted only 15 minutes on his return from injury before being forced off with another knock.
McDowall was unwilling to speculate on the severity of the issue but said the squad would fully support the Aberdeen-born lock during his recovery.
"He's a tough character, he'll bounce back from this," said the stand-in captain.
"Obviously, we don't know the extent of the injury yet. It might not be anything too major but we're a close-knit group so I'm sure the boys will get around him."