The second semifinal in the College Football Playoff pits the Clemson Tigers against the Ohio State Buckeyes. This will be their second meeting in a national semifinal; the first meeting came in 2016, when Ohio State went in with ballyhooed talent and uber-coach Urban Meyer, and left on the wrong end of a 31-0 whipping. This year’s Ohio State team is much better; the 2016 version didn’t even make the Big Ten Championship (one more testament to the biases at work in the CFP committee at times), but this year’s team is 13-0, just like Clemson. The Tigers took Virginia apart in the ACC Championship, rolling in 62-17 fashion, so if you are taking Clemson lightly because of that ACC slate, you haven’t been paying attention. Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this showdown between college football titans.
Clemson vs Ohio State 2019 Fiesta Bowl Lines, Game Info & Pick
The stage is set at @PHXSkyHarbor! pic.twitter.com/3ak0CrTG8L
— PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (@Fiesta_Bowl) December 22, 2019
- When: Saturday, December 28, 2019, 8:00 pm ET
- Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: ESPN Radio
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- 2019 Fiesta Bowl Odds: Clemson -2
Why should you bet on Clemson?
Clemson is the top defense in the nation in terms of total defense — and that is a year after having to replace a defensive line for the ages from 2018. Isaiah Simmons won the Dick Butkus Award as the game’s best linebacker, with 91 tackles overall, seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss. No team ran for more than 160 yards on the Tigers, as the unit permitted less than four yards per play on the season. The only team who gained more than 300 yards of total offense was Virginia, in that 62-17 laugher.
Turnovers are a problem for Ohio State, as they fumbled the ball away 13 times on the season, including eight times in their last five games. Clemson forced 28 turnovers on the season, with at least two in four of the last five games of the season. They have more interceptions than fumble recoveries, but they can pry the ball away. The team has a +15 turnover margin in their last eight games. Also, the Ohio State secondary can give up some big plays. Against Michigan, the wide receivers averaged 17 yards per completion. If they hadn’t kept dropping balls, the game might have been different. Clemson’s wideouts won’t make those same mistakes. Trevor Lawrence was throwing too many interceptions in the early going, trying to force balls into tight windows, but ever since he switched his approach and went with what was open, he has gone back to his 2018 success.
Why should you put your money on Ohio State?
Quarterback Justin Fields has not been terrific this year; he has been virtually flawless. Yes, Joe Burrow got the Heisman Trophy, likely because of that win over Alabama, but Fields might have ben even better. He threw for 40 touchdowns and ran for ten more. He threw one interception. All season long. This coming in to fill the immense shoes of Dwayne Haskins, after he left for the NFL. Then there’s tailback J.K. Dobbins, who ran for 1,829 yards and 20 touchdowns. The offensive line does have a penchant for allowing sacks, but it opens holes against the best, blowing Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan off the line.
On defense, the Buckeyes came in second in the nation in pass defense, third in scoring defense and sacks, fourth in third-down conversion percentage permitted, and seventh in takeaways and run defense. Chase Young is the star of the defense, but the linebackers are a speedy, physical bunch that swarm to the ball. Jeff Okudah will be playing in an NFL secondary next fall. This will be the best offense and defense that Clemson has seen all year long. But will that be enough?
