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Backing down: Dabo Swinney opted out of Coaches Poll after blowback from Ohio State ranking in 2020
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Dabo Swinney is no longer in the business of ranking college football teams. The criticism he received last year over his final placement of Ohio State was enough for the Clemson head coach to back away.
Tuesday, Swinney revealed that he’s no longer participating in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, setting aside the quill and parchment. Last year, the Clemson leader ranked Ohio State No. 11 in his final ballot to close out the 2020 season.
His explanation was the the Buckeyes played a limited number of games compared to other teams across college football, not necessarily that Ryan Day’s squad wasn’t good enough to compete for a national title.
“That was just a distraction for my team,” Swinney said, per Jon Blau of The Post and Courier. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Who cares?”
Dabo Swinney says he opted out of the coaches poll this year over what happened voting Ohio State where he did last year. "That was just a distraction for my team .. It doesn't matter anyway. Who cares."
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) November 16, 2021
Ohio State and Clemson played in the Sugar Bowl last season as part of the College Football Playoff semifinal round. The Buckeyes posted a 49-28 victory over the Tigers to advance to the title game.
Based on the results from last season, probably a smart move for Swinney to pass on the opportunity.
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