Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been pretty outspoken about Ohio State recently, making it clear that he felt a team that has played just six games shouldn’t get into the College Football Playoff over teams that have played several more games this season.
It looks like Swinney put his money where his mouth is in his final ballot for the Coaches Poll.
One of 61 coaches that vote for the poll, Swinney ranked Ohio State No. 11 in his Top 25. Here is Swinney’s full ballot:
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- Georgia
- Cincinnati
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- Coastal Carolina
- Ohio State
- North Carolina
- Brigham Young
- Indiana
- Miami (Fla.)
- Louisiana-Lafayette
- Oklahoma State
- North Carolina State
- Northwestern
- Southern California
- Texas
- Iowa
- Liberty
- San Jose State
- Army
Earlier this month, before Florida was upset by unranked LSU on Dec. 12, Swinney said on the Rich Eisen Show that if he was on the CFP Committee, it would have been hard for him to “leave a 10-1 Texas A&M or a 11-game Florida team out over a team that has played six games.”
The Aggies, of course, finished the season 8-1 but were ranked No. 5 in the final CFP rankings behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Notre Dame.
“That would be hard for me if I was on the committee, but I am not on the committee, so it does not really mater,” Swinney told Eisen. “It does not mean they are not a great team and could win the whole thing, but I just think that there has to be (a standard) … I just think from a big picture standpoint, I would lean toward rewarding teams that had been all in because it has been an incredible challenge.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is not a voter for the Coaches Poll, in case you were wondering how he views Clemson.
Day’s Buckeyes and Swinney’s Tigers will have a chance to hash it out on the field and determine who truly has the better team when they meet in the CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
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