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J.K. Dobbins pulling for Clemson over Alabama in College Football Playoff
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J.K. Dobbins still isn’t over it.
The fact that Alabama received that fourth and final bid into the College Football Playoff has left a bad taste in the mouth of the freshman running back. And he’s not afraid to express the fact that he’s still a little bitter about the selection committee’s to leave Ohio State out of the picture.
In an interview with Land of 10 writer Austin Ward, Dobbins said that after the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl game against USC, he’ll have some rooting interest in the College Football Playoff semi-final matchup. And he’s not going to be pulling for the Crimson Tide.
“Oh, I’m going for Clemson,” Dobbins told Ward. “I just don’t think Bama deserves to be there.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not really thinking about any of that stuff. But fresh off the press, I’m going for Clemson because I don’t think Alabama should be there. I think we should have been there.”
While plenty of college football fans would disagree with that point, there are plenty of people in Columbus that would agree with Dobbins. But a two-touchdown loss against Oklahoma and a blowout loss to Iowa were too much to overcome this season. This was the first time in the College Football Playoff’s brief history that the B1G was left out of the picture.
The SEC had two teams (Georgia and Alabama) in the mix.
Dobbins ended his freshman season with 1,364 rushing yards, ranking second in the B1G. He also had 7 touchdowns and was one of only two B1G backs to average more than 100 yards per game on the ground. But his efforts weren’t quite enough to get the Buckeyes into the playoff picture.
So when Clemson and Alabama square off in the College Football Playoff for a third straight year, don’t be surprised when Dobbins is rooting for Clemson.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB