Ohio State or Clemson? Phoenix Zoo orangutan with winning history makes pick
In the wild, orangutans and tigers are natural enemies.
That rivalry extends to the football field, too, apparently, as Rayma, one of five Bornean orangutans at the Phoenix Zoo, chose Ohio State to beat Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.
Rayma, who has correctly predicted the last two Super Bowls according to The Lantern, made a last-minute switch from the orange Clemson shirt to the scarlet Ohio State one on Friday.
That’s in keeping with a recent trend — animals haven’t been fans of Clemson orange over the past few years.
The last time Clemson visited Arizona for an important game, five different animals, including an jaguar, tortoise, porcupine and elephant, at the Phoenix Zoo predicted by a narrow 3-2 margin that Alabama would defeat the Tigers in the 2015-16 College Football Playoff championship game. The Crimson Tide did win that game.
Before the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, the zoo repeated the process with one animal, a Southern Ground Hornbill, who picked Ohio State to beat Clemson. That turned out to be wrong, as the Tigers romped to a 31-0 victory.
And in 2017 before the Sugar Bowl, an otter at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans picked Alabama to beat Clemson. The Crimson Tide won.
Most recently, a panda at Zoo Atlanta picked No. 4 seed Oklahoma to upset No. 1 LSU in the other College Football Playoff semifinal in the Peach Bowl.
This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 3:56 PM.
