It’s almost as if the post-season games between No. 2 Clemson and Ohio State are becoming a standard soccer tradition that the competition itself competes with. On Friday, the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl is the fifth time these two programs have come together, and all five will be played in bowls.
The first time was in the Gator Bowl was in 1978 when the Tigers beat the Buckeyes 17-15. It would take 36 years before they reunited when they started in the Orange Bowl in 2014, but this year’s game is the fourth event in the last seven years and the third time in a College Football Playoff game. While the game changed, the results were obviously the same.
Clemson has won all four events so far, including a 31-0 blowout in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. That victory propelled the Tigers to their first national title. Last year’s Fiesta Bowl reunion was much closer with Clemson winning 29-23. Will the Buckeyes fare well from the desert to the bay, or will Clemson continue the dominance of the series?
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Games: Sugar Bowl – College Football Playoff Semifinals
Date: Friday 1 January | Time: 20:00 ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Stories
Clemson: The Clemson program has reached a point where you almost feel like you can ignore it during the regular season because you know it’s going to win the ACC and make it to the College Football Playoff. Well, there was a bit of doubt this year due to the presence of Notre Dame in the conference, but even when the Fighting defeated Irish Clemson 47-40, you still thought they would have to do it a second time. The meeting went much better for the Tigers when they beat the Irish 34-10, with Trevor Lawrence behind the center. Now they are back for the sixth time in the playoffs (equal to Alabama for most games) in its seven-year history and want to win their seventh playoff game. Thus, the Tigers would be placed in the title game for the fifth time.
Ohio State: It has been a strange season for the state of Ohio, even by the strange standards of college football in 2020 as a whole. First, the Buckeyes’ season was postponed by the Big Ten, only for the conference to take a 180 on the decision. After the Buckeyes season started well, the season was delayed again when their game against Maryland was canceled due to COVID-19 problems with the Terrapins. They came back and struggled against a top-10 Indiana team, but won. The following week, their game against Illinois was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the Buckeyes. Again, they returned for a game – a 52-12 blow from the state of Michigan – before the final season against Michigan was canceled due to COVID-19. It was a stop-and-start season that made it difficult for the Buckeyes to get into a rhythm. Now they have entered the playoffs after playing just six games and confronting a Clemson team.
Sugar Pot Forecast, Choose
Last chance:
Clemson Tigers -7.5
I’m not sure why Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has been so willing to provide Ohio State with bulletin board material over the past few weeks, but he’s not ashamed of it. Swinney is adamant about his belief that the state of Ohio should not be selected for the College Football Playoff because he has only played six games. Now we all know that if Clemson was limited to just six games, Swinney would not argue that his team does not belong there. That does not mean he is wrong. It’s beneficial for the Buckeyes to play just six games, but I do not think it’s enough for them to win this game. When Clemson had Lawrence, it looked like the juggernaut we all expected. The state of Ohio has looked great in its first three games, but has since been at odds with Justin Fields, who is especially trying to gain confidence. Unless Fields returns to his elite form, it’s hard to imagine the Buckeyes keeping this game in touch. Select: Clemson -7.5 | Clemson 31, Ohio State 21