Twitter Roasts Dabo Swinney After Ohio State Team He Ranked 11th Clobbers Clemson
What goes around comes around, and Dabo Swinney is left eating crow on New Year's Day.
Just over a week ago, the Clemson head coach made his feelings known about who he thought should've been in the College Football Playoff. In the final Coaches Poll ballot prior to the bowl season starting, Swinney voted for Ohio State—a team that had only played six games, compared to his teams' 11—at No. 11 while a majority of the panel's 61 coaches placed Ohio State in the top four.
"There is no question Ohio State is good enough to beat us, any of us, to be a national champion," he later said, defending his ranking. "I didn't rank anybody that 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."
But on Friday, that same No. 3 Buckeyes team obliterated No. 2 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, 49–28.
The game was messy for the Tigers, to say the least. They went into halftime trailing 35–14—the program's largest halftime deficit since the 2012 Orange Bowl against West Virginia. They allowed 394 total yards in the first two quarters, the most allowed in a half since Swinney became head coach in 2008.
Clemson has now allowed at least 500 yards in three straight College Football Playoff games, including 628 to LSU in last year's national championship game.
As expected, Ohio State fans (and most of the college football community) took to Twitter to roast the head coach over his ranking and Clemson's surprising loss in general. The reactions ranged from LeBron James to former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to current Buckeyes WR Garrett Wilson, who joined in postgame.
Asked afterward whether he regretted his coaches' poll ranking, Swinney said, "No, I don't regret any of that. Polls have nothing to do with motivation. Both teams were motivated."
Ohio State's team football account even got in on the fun itself:
More From Buckeyes Now:
* Five Things That Stood Out From Ohio State's Pounding of Clemson
* Ohio State's Offensive Line Epitomizes 'Next Man Up' Philosophy
* Chris Olave's Monster Game Redeems Worst Game of Career