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Dabo Swinney isn’t afraid to let his opinion be known, he’s one of the more open coaches with the media. One thing that he’s made very clear this year is that he’s not a fan of a six-win team making the College Football Playoff. Well, Ohio State made the Playoff as a six-win team and Swinney will get a shot at proving his point as his Tigers will take on the Buckeyes in the CFB Playoff semifinal on January 1.
Even after the Playoff was set on Sunday, Swinney stuck to his opinion about a six-win team making it.
“I think the games matter. I think the mental and physical toll of a season, there’s nobody out there that would say somebody who’s played 11 games versus somebody who’s played six is better physically,” Swinney said on Sunday.
Just to make his thoughts toward Ohio State abundantly clear, Swinney ranked the Buckeyes 11th in his final Coache’s Poll ballot of the year. In his eyes, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Coastal Carolina, and Iowa State are among teams that should be ranked ahead of the Buckeyes.
Always interesting to look through the final coaches’ poll ballots. Dabo apparently doesn’t think much of the @OhioStateFB team he’s preparing to face in the CFP. pic.twitter.com/wwAqPKYfq9
— Dave Revsine (@BTNDaveRevsine) December 21, 2020
I don’t care if you’re the biggest Ohio State fan hater out there, Swinney’s rankings here are just disrespectful. I’m not saying he’s wrong in saying a six-win team should get into the Playoff, I wouldn’t have been mad seeing Texas A&M in the Playoff over the Buckeyes, but that doesn’t mean they’re the No. 11 team in the country.
You have to tip your cap to Swinney for saying what he did and ranking the Buckeyes where he truly believes they should be. He isn’t the only coach out there thinking the exact same thing.
Nevertheless, New Year’s Day should be fun. Giving Ohio State this bulletin board material was a bold play by Swinney, but maybe we’ll all benefit from it and see a great game between these two squads.