Clemson's Dabo Swinney: Ohio State Shouldn't Make CFP over Texas A&M, Florida

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney suggested Friday that Texas A&M and Florida are more deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff than an Ohio State team that plays six games.

In an interview Thursday on The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Garrett Stepien of 247Sports), Swinney said teams in conferences that play close to a full slate of games (ACC, SEC, Big 12) deserve more consideration for a CFP spot than teams in conferences that play a partial schedule, such as the Big Ten and Pac-12:

"I think any time you step in between the lines in the game of football, there's a lot that can happen — a lot. I mean, heck — in 2017, we lost to a three-win or four-win Syracuse team and still went to the Playoffs. So anything can happen. Guys can get hurt. There's a lot. So I think the fact that we're gonna have 11 games as well as the SEC teams — I mean, you look at Florida and Texas A&M and Alabama. I mean, these teams are gonna have 11 games this year.

"It's incredible and I think the Big Ten had the same opportunity and they chose not to play, and I think the only reason they ended up playing is because of the leadership of the SEC and the ACC and the Big 12, and have demonstrated that we can do it and do it in a safe way. And it's been an unbelievably challenging season, that's for sure, but I think that the committee's gonna have some tough, tough, tough questions to answer and things like that, regardless of what they do."

Swinney added:

"I just think there has to be some type of standard. I just think it would be — if I was on a committee, it would be hard for me to leave out a 10-1 Texas A&M or an 11-game Florida team over a team that's played six games. That would be hard for me if I was on a committee, but I'm not on the committee. So it doesn't really matter."

Ohio State is fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings with a record of 5-0. Clemson is ahead of OSU at No. 3 with a 9-1 mark, while Texas A&M (7-1) is fifth and Florida (8-1) is sixth.

While the Buckeyes have played only five games this season, they have experienced multiple cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their game against Maryland was canceled because of COVID-19 issues within the Terrapins program, and the matchup with Illinois was called off thanks to an outbreak in the Ohio State program.

This week's scheduled rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan has been canceled as well since the Wolverines are dealing with positive COVID-19 cases.

Initially, the Big Ten required a team to play at least six games to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game. The conference announced this week that it was doing away with the requirement, which means OSU and Northwestern will meet in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Ohio State is the Big Ten's only hope of being represented in the CFP, which likely factored into the conference's decision.

Clemson has run into some COVID-19 issues in its own right this season. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed two games after a positive test, and a scheduled game against Florida State was called off after a Clemson player tested positive.

Despite that, Clemson has played 10 games and will meet undefeated Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game next week.

The ACC, SEC and Big 12 had a greater margin for error since they started their seasons in September, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 didn't begin play until late October and early November, respectively.

Although it can be argued that Texas A&M and Florida deserve greater CFP consideration after playing close to full schedules, it is difficult to say Ohio State isn't one of the four best teams in the nation.

With quarterback Justin Fields to lead the way, the Buckeyes have a high-octane offense capable of beating anyone. It would be tough to keep them out of the CFP field if they top Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Even if OSU goes undefeated, though, one scenario could see it left out of the CFP. If Florida upsets Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, the Gators would likely push into the Top Four.

A Clemson loss to Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game would likely drop the Tigers behind Ohio State with two losses. However, a Clemson win would leave Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Florida with one loss apiece, and they would all arguably have a better case than undefeated OSU.

There is still plenty left to be decided, but if Ohio State beats Northwestern and Alabama beats Florida, it is difficult to envision the CFP committee drops the Buckeyes outside the Top Four.