Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney admitted that he saw the blowout of Ohio State in the 2016 College Football Playoff coming.
Ohio State bit off more than it could chew in the 2016 College Football Playoff’s first round. The national semifinal game against Clemson didn’t go as planned as Urban Meyer’s team was shut out, 31-0.
It was an embarrassing loss for the Buckeyes, but one that Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney since admitted he saw coming.
According to TigerNet.com, the Clemson head coach predicted the future after he watched film of Ohio State from the 2016 season. He told his team that the Buckeyes were in trouble, alluding to the fact that the Big Ten was hyped up by the media more than it should have been.
"“And we get ready to play Ohio State, and I am watching film, and I watch every single game. And when I was done I go into my team and I say, ‘Boys, these guys are in trouble. I’ve watched the whole league and I’ve watched both sides of the league, and these guys are in trouble.’ And that’s what happened. That’s a credit to our league. That’s why myself and Jimbo and some of these other coaches are quick to point it out.”"
To be fair, he’s not completely wrong here. The Big Ten was tough in 2016, but not nearly to the level that it was hyped. Ohio State played a number of close games and even lost to the eventual conference champion: Penn State.
Ohio State could have easily had two more losses, but squeaked out close games against Michigan (controversially) and Michigan State. The latter finished 3-9 and still nearly defeated the Buckeyes, but attempted a game-winning two-point conversion since the Spartans had nothing to lose, and failed.
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The Buckeyes were beatable, on film, and Swinney told his team that Ohio State was in trouble. Well, he was right. Clemson went on to win the national title over Alabama.