Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney: Early ranking for playoffs 'doesn't matter'
CLEMSON – Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a reminder for fans about Tuesday's initial rankings release for the College Football Playoffs.
"Doesn't matter," Swinney said.
Clemson is expected to be outside the top four – likely fifth, where the Tigers are in the polls – when the list is revealed during a 7 p.m. show on ESPN. This will be the first of six weekly rankings, ending with the national semifinalists being selected on Dec. 4.
"It has no relevance at this point," Swinney said. "... They may come out tonight and say we're the No. 1 team in America. Ain't nobody gonna give us a trophy for that. So, it just doesn't matter. Same if you're the No. 10 team. It doesn't matter, either."
Clemson (8-0) plays Saturday (7:30 pm., NBC) at Notre Dame (5-3) in South Bend, Indiana.
"The only thing I'm interested in is trying to win in South Bend," Swinney said. "That's all that matters."
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Clemson missed the College Football Playoffs last season for the first time in seven years. The Tigers, who won national championships in 2016 and 2018, went 10-3 and won the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State. The only other time Clemson missed the four-team playoff was the first year of the system in 2014.
The only time Clemson made the CFP without being in the top four of the initial rankings was when the Tigers were fifth in 2019. They ended up third, then beat Ohio State in the semifinals and lost to LSU in the championship game.
The closest the first rankings have ever been to the final rankings happened in 2017, when Clemson, Georgia and Alabama made it all the way through, joined by Oklahoma from the fifth spot.
Todd Shanesy covers Clemson athletics for the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football's Dabo Swinney on first CFP ranking: 'Doesn't matter'
