COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Coach Dabo Swinney, whose Clemson team will face Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, seemed to indicate what he really thinks of the Buckeyes on Monday.
USA Today released the ballots from its final coaches poll before the College Football Playoff begins. Most coaches had the Buckeyes ranked from No. 2 to No. 5. But Swinney ranked them 11th.
In the final College Football Playoff rankings released Sunday, the Tigers were second and the Buckeyes third. Those rankings held true in the Associated Press Top 25, a poll of media members, and the USA Today coaches poll.
But Swinney has said he thinks teams that have played more games should be ranked higher than those that have played fewer in a season that has been dramatically altered by the coronavirus pandemic. Clemson is 10-1, and Ohio State 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 earlier this month.
Here is a look at Swinney’s Top 11:
- Alabama (11-0)
- Clemson (10-1)
- Notre Dame (10-1)
- Texas A&M (8-1)
- Florida (8-3)
- Georgia (7-2)
- Cincinnati (9-0)
- Oklahoma (8-2)
- Iowa State (8-3)
- Coastal Carolina (11-0)
- Ohio State (6-0)
Top-ranked Alabama and Ohio State are the only undefeated teams from one of the Power 5 conferences: the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern. Although teams from other conferences are eligible for the playoff, such as undefeated Cincinnati of the American Athletic and Coastal Carolina of the Sun Belt, the playoff committee has only awarded playoff spots to Power 5 teams and has always included undefeated ones since the playoff began in 2014.
The Sugar Bowl is one of the playoff semifinal games. The other is the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Notre Dame. The winners of those games will meet for the national championship on Jan. 11.