Swinney ranks Ohio State 11th in coaches poll ballot ahead of CFP

Dabo Swinney apparently doesn't think too highly of his College Football Playoff semifinal opponent.

The Clemson boss ranked Ohio State 11th in his final coaches poll ballot behind several programs that didn't capture a conference title, including Florida, Georgia, and Iowa State, according to Big Ten Network's Dave Revsine.

Swinney wasn't the only head coach to place the Buckeyes outside of the top four but did give the Big Ten champions their lowest rank, Stadium's Brett McMurphy reports.

The two-time national champion has been critical of Ohio State's resume leading up to the CFP, noting the program's six games compared to the Tigers' 11. However, the 51-year-old did admit prepping for an opponent who's played fewer contests is an easier task than studying one with a full schedule.

"You can still get a feel, plus obviously you're going to study their games this year," Swinney said. "That'll be a quick study for us. There were only six, so that'll be a little easier. Typically you're going into these games, you've got 13 games to study, so it won't be as daunting of a task there.

"They're going to have to study 11 games," he continued. "You've gotta study every play - offense, defense, special teams ... plus you're going back to last year. So it does make it a little easier (for us) because there's not much tape to pore through."

The committee ranked Clemson No. 2 in the final CFP standings after the team defeated Notre Dame for the ACC title on Saturday. Swinney's squad beat the Buckeyes in last year's semifinal but lost to LSU in the National Championship Game.