Dabo Swinney fires back at SEC commissioner Greg Sankey

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is not happy over SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s comments about ACC scheduling.

Both Clemson and Notre Dame were slated to play rescheduled games against Florida State and Wake Forest, respectively, this past Saturday. However, the ACC opted to cancel those make-up games, meaning both schools had open weekends ahead of their meeting in next Saturday’s ACC Championship. Sankey noted that, unlike the ACC, the SEC had played virtually all of its originally scheduled games.

Swinney took aim at Sankey on Sunday, getting a shot in at Ohio State in the process.

“If the ACC was trying to really protect Clemson and Notre Dame, why would we even play a game this week?” Swinney said, via David M. Hale of ESPN. “I mean, if six wins can get you in the playoff, shouldn’t nine get you there? Shouldn’t 10 get you there?

“I would’ve loved to play this past weekend. I had no problem with that. I didn’t make the decision. We wanted to play when we were down in Tallahassee and were about to get on a bus and go play. Things happen.”

This is all politics, as Clemson may face an uphill fight to get into the College Football Playoff if they can’t beat Notre Dame in their rematch. The SEC has an interest in trying to ensure that as few ACC teams make it as possible, while Swinney wants Clemson considered no matter what. That’s also why Swinney has been saying things like this about the Buckeyes all week.