Dabo Swinney quits Coaches Poll over backlash from ranking Ohio State No. 11 last year
After causing a distraction voting Ohio State at No. 11 in the Coaches Poll last season, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says he’s opting out of participating.
Dabo Swinney is done with the Coaches Poll.
The Clemson football coach said he’s opting out of participating in the weekly poll after the backlash he received when he voted Ohio State at No. 11 late last season.
Swinney explained his reasoning for putting Ohio State at No. 11 was the small sample of games they played due to the Big Ten starting their season late and having another game canceled due to COVID.
That small sample size was also a factor for the College Football Playoff committee to weigh when ultimately determining the Buckeyes were among the four best teams.
Here’s the full quote from Dabo Swinney on not voting in the coaches poll this year. It was in response to a question about Clemson not receiving top 25 votes. Swinney said he thinks Clemson should be getting consideration as a top-25 team: pic.twitter.com/tMtJcKWHEW
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) November 16, 2021
Dabo Swinney is done with the Coaches Poll
As fate would have it, Clemson and Ohio State met in the College Football Playoff semifinals where the Buckeyes got revenge for the loss they suffered at the hands of Clemson the year prior.
Ohio State proved on the field they were better than the No. 11 team and made Swinney eat crow.
On Tuesday, Swinney said it was an unnecessary distraction and dismissed the merits of the Coaches Poll entirely.
Swinney isn’t wrong.
It was a distraction, but it’s not an excuse for why Clemson lost to Ohio State.
And he’s not wrong to question the worth of the Coaches Poll.
Fans are already doing it with the AP Poll.
Both polls are good to get fans debating and yelling online, but the only rankings that matter are the College Football Playoff rankings.
The third installment of the CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night on ESPN.
The College Football Playoff field will be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 5 on ESPN.
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