COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The posturing for spots in the College Football Playoff has begun, and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is taking direct aim at Ohio State.

Swinney was asked about the four-team playoff during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show on Friday, and he said that teams that have played more games should get preference over those that have played fewer.

Swinney’s Tigers, third in the playoff rankings, are 9-1, while the Buckeyes, ranked fourth, are 5-0.

“If I were on the committee, it’d be hard for me to leave out a 10-1 Texas A&M or an 11-game Florida team over a team that’s played six games,” Swinney said. “That’d be hard for me if I was on the committee. But I’m not on the committee.”

College Football Playoff top 10
RankTeamRecord
1. Alabama9-0
2.Notre Dame10-0
3. Clemson9-1
4. Ohio State5-0
5.Texas A&M7-1
6.Florida8-1
7.Iowa State8-2
8. Cincinnati8-0
9.Georgia6-2
10.Miami8-1

Ohio State has only one game remaining before the playoff field is selected. That’s on Saturday, Dec. 19 against No. 14 Northwestern in the Big Ten championship game. The best record the Buckeyes could end up with is 6-0.

“It’s almost like, you’ve got to have 120 hours to get a business degree, but yet, these people over here only need 60 hours to get a business degree,” Swinney said.

The same day that Ohio State plays, Clemson has a rematch against No. 2 Notre Dame (10-0) in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. In the first meeting, the Tigers lost 47-40 in double overtime. A loss in the rematch would likely knock the Tigers out of consideration, but a win would leave the second- and third-ranked teams in the playoff with identical 10-1 records.

“No matter what happens for Notre Dame or Clemson,” Swinney said, “nothing changes in my mind as far as both of these teams being in the top four.”

Topping the playoff rankings is Alabama (9-0) of the Southeastern Conference. The SEC and ACC started their seasons in September, unlike the Big Ten, which staged an eight-game season over eight weeks starting Oct. 24.

Big Ten games canceled because of COVID-19 were not made up or rescheduled. Ohio State games against Maryland on Nov. 14, Illinois on Nov. 28 and Michigan on Dec. 12 were all canceled.

“The fact that we’re going to have 11 games, as well as the SEC teams. … It’s incredible,” Swinney said. “I think the Big Ten had the same opportunity, and they chose not to play.”