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Urban Meyer shares intel on how Dabo Swinney’s ranking impacted Ohio State in the Playoff
By Adam Spencer
Published:
By now, you’ve probably heard that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had Ohio State ranked No. 11 in his final Coaches Poll.
After the Buckeyes beat the Tigers 49-28 on Friday night in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff title game, it’s safe to say they took that ranking personally.
In fact, after the game, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said that the Buckeyes had a great week of practice after learning where Swinney had them ranked:
"I can tell you, I was told they had the three best practices they've had in a long time right after that."@CoachUrbanMeyer discusses the impact Dabo's No. 11 ranking had on @OhioStateFB. pic.twitter.com/zuMBPbWEIh
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) January 2, 2021
“We all know what happened last week,” Meyer said, referring to Swinney’s ranking. “The Buckeyes, at one practice, had 41 players because of COVID and other stuff going on. A lot of it added morale because players had to be away from their families for Christmas. I was talking to Coach (Ryan) Day and some of the other coaches, and something happened. The disrespect when Coach Swinney came out and ranked them 11th, behind Iowa State and Coastal Carolina. … I can tell you, I was told they had the three best practices they’ve had in a long time right after that.”
Now, we’ll have to see if the Alabama Crimson Tide can avoid giving Ohio State any similar bulletin-board material heading into the CFP title game on Jan. 11.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
