Don't let Dabo Swinney's antics distract you from Nick Saban's disrespect.
Swinney got all the headlines this month for ranking Ohio State appallingly low in his final coaches poll, but let's not forget that Saban's poll trolled the hell out of the Buckeyes, too.
In his final coaches poll, Saban not only ranked Ohio State outside of the top four, which seems to indicate he didn't see the Buckeyes as worthy of a playoff spot, but he ranked them below Texas A&M – a team his Crimson Tide team beat 52-24 earlier in the season.
It may not be quite as egregious as ranking Ohio State outside of the top-10 like Swinney did, but ranking your College Football Playoff title game opponent below a team you waxed by four touchdowns two months before certainly isn't nothing.
The Buckeyes were quite clearly motivated by the perceived disrespect after Swinney ranked them No. 11, blasting him on Twitter following the game. Perhaps Saban's ranking will serve as bulletin board material, as well.
For his part, Ryan Day said he paid no attention to Saban ranking Ohio State No. 5 in his coaches poll, saying he's just focused on preparing for the game.
