With just one day to go until the College Football Playoff semifinals, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media for one final time to preview their head-to-head matchup in Saturday's Fiesta Bowl.
After a brief welcome by Glendale mayor Jerry Weiers, who gave each coach a gift basket and said he expects Saturday's game to “be the best game we've ever had,” Day and Swinney each fielded questions for about a half-hour in a combined press conference.
A quick recap of what each of them had to say:
Ryan Day:
- Day thanked the Fiesta Bowl for its hospitality and said they've done an excellent job taking care of the team all week.
- “It's an honor to play a team like Clemson ... the combination of talent and coaching is some of the best in the country. Our guys know that, they recognize that.”
- On his team's health: “It is great to have everybody healthy. That means a lot late in the season.”
- Day said he would advocate for moving Heisman Trophy voting until after the season because “I don't think you have a complete picture yet.”
- On Justin Fields' health: “He's doing great.”
- “I think this year, that offensive line has come together stronger than any offensive line that I've seen.”
- On coaching against Brent Venables' defense: “It's going to be a challenge, but if you want to win a national title, you've gotta go up against the best.”
- Day said he would like the College Football Playoff semifinals to be on New Year's Day every year for the sake of consistency and tradition, but the quick turnaround to this year's game is the same for everyone.
- Day isn't thinking about how Saturday's game will affect his legacy or the national perception of Ohio State. All that matters right now is getting a win on Saturday.
Dabo Swinney:
- “There's really not much else to say that hasn't been said. These are two great teams.”
- Swinney said he sees Clemson and Ohio State as “mirror images of each other in many ways.”
- Does this feel like a national championship game? “It is a national championship game, because if we don't win it, we ain't going to the national championship game.”
- “These type of games usually come down to a few plays.”
- Swinney said he believes Clemson's defense has “the best back seven we've ever had,” so the Tigers have played to their strength, different from previous years where their defensive line was the strength of their defense. The Tigers' defense has been multiple this year as a result, whereas they played mostly in base defense last season.
- After his prophecy that this decade would be the best decade in Clemson history came true, his prediction for the next decade: “The best is yet to come ... I'm just glad I'm still here. There was probably a lot of money bet on me not being here back in 2010.”
- Swinney said effective punting is “critical“ to win the field-position battle in a game like this.
- Swinney said he does not support playoff expansion because he likes the tradition of bowl games. He thinks the four-team playoff has gotten it right and the best team in college football has won every single year.
- Swinney said he would “much prefer“ for the College Football Playoff semifinals to be on New Year's Day every year. It's a tough turnaround with only three weeks between the conference championship games and the playoff semifinals, but everyone's in the same boat because they all played in conference championship games.
