The Clemson head coach says he wanted to reward teams that played at least nine games this year in his personal top 10.
Dabo Swinney was very matter-of-fact with the media on Monday morning as he addressed the media ahead of Friday' Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff Semifinal game against Ohio State.
It's created quite a stir in Buckeye Nation when Swinney's final coaches poll ballot was revealed and he had Ohio State as the No. 11 team in the country. He was asked by Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch to defend his stance on ranking the Buckeyes where he did, and he gave a lengthy, thoughtful answer.
You can watch the video of his entire response above.
Here are the highlights of the things he said:
- “Ohio State is good enough to beat us, anybody, and good enough to be the national champions.”
- He didn't want to rank any team in the top 10 unless they had played at least nine games this season.
- “It’s not that they’re not good enough, I just don’t think it’s right that three teams have to play 13 games to be the champions and one team has to play eight.”
- He knew he would take some heat for it, but he wanted to do what he thought was right. He pointed out that in 2017, he voted for the Buckeyes to be included and not his alma mater, Alabama
- He said he's probably popular enough in Michigan right now to run for governor
Swinney also touched on a number of other topics this morning:
On Justin Fields
"Justin Fields is a great football player. He is going to be a top two or three pick, he can do it all. He’s just a dangerous guy, he’s got great confidence, he understands his progressions, he creates a lot of conflict because of his ability to run the ball, his schemes, he’s confident in his throws, and they have great wideouts ... Olave, Wilson, Williams, they are as good as you’re going to see."
On Trevor Lawrence and the Heisman Trophy
"The Heisman Trophy is a stat and media driven award. It just is what it is, but Trevor Lawrence is the epitome of the Heisman Trophy in every regard. He makes everybody better. There are some amazing young football players out there who are very deserving, but the best player in the country is Trevor Lawrence."
On the challenges they've faced this year
He says the sacrifices made by Clemson are "unprecedented," and what they've had to sacrifice to play is "incredible." ... "The teams that manage this the best, that's who's going to finish the best." He also said no team he's coached has ever had the challenges that this team has had to get to this point. But they are similar in how they are built. It's why he thinks this is one of the tightest-knit teams he's ever been around - all they've had is each other the last few months. But they have great quarterback play, a lot of skill, and they are playing their best football right now.
On what he sees in the Buckeye defense under Coach Coombs compared to last year with Coach Hafley
"Very similar, and why would it not be ... they lose good players every year just like we do, but they replace them with good players every year, just like we do ... They're a really, really good football team. Built in the trenches. Built in the front seven. Built to stop the run." He pointed out that the Buckeyes play a little more two-safeties looks this season. He called out Baron Browning and Shaun Wade by name and was very complimentary with how well they've played, adding that his offense will have to be much better this time around.
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