Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney is catching a bit of heat from fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes who didn’t take kindly to rank them No. 11 in his Amway Coaches Poll from USA Today, and now he’s speaking out about it.
Promising that he didn’t mean his ranking of the Buckeyes to be taken as a slight, Swinney reiterated that he greatly respects Ohio State, and based his choice on the fact that they’ve not played an entire season.
“There’s no question Ohio State is good enough to beat us, to beat any of these four [playoff teams] and be the national champion,” Swinney said. “That’s not a question at all. I didn’t rank anybody who didn’t play nine games or more in the top 10. That’s why they were 11. I have all the respect in the world for Ohio State.”
He then decided to delve into the rivalry that the Buckeyes share with the Michigan Wolverines with an interesting quip:
“To me, right is right,” he said. “I knew I’d be the poster child. I could probably run for governor in Michigan and have a good chance.”
The Buckeyes and the Tigers will battle in the Sugar Bowl on New Years Day.
– – Quotes via David M. Hale of ESPN Link – –
