Clemson’s playoff path starts with Ohio State ... and in a surprising location
Clemson will face a familiar opponent in a familiar location in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers earned the No. 2 seed in the playoff and will face No. 3 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. The game will take place in New Orleans, a location that’s a bit of a surprise, and kick off at 8 p.m.
Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers will have the opportunity to advance to the national title game for the fifth time in six years, playing in the venue where last year’s Clemson season ended with a loss to LSU. Clemson defeated Ohio State in last year’s Fiesta Bowl to advance to the national championship game.
“We all know Ohio State is an incredibly talented team, and we look forward to a great matchup,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told ESPN. “We had a heck of a game last year, and I doubt it’ll be anything different this year. It’s going to be a great, competitive game, both teams fighting. Probably come down to a few plays, and we’ll be looking forward to it back in New Orleans.”
Alabama is the No. 1 seed and will face No. 4 seed Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, which is being played in Arlington, Texas this year because of COVID-19 protocols and fan restrictions in Pasadena, California.
It was believed Alabama would play closer to home in New Orleans, leaving Clemson and Ohio State to play in Arlington. Instead, the Tide will play in Texas so that more fans can come to the No. 1 seed’s game.
“Related to the uniqueness of this year, the No. 1 (seed) is given the benefit of the doubt. And in this case, we know that there can be 16,000 fans able to watch it in Arlington, and we know that there’s going to be 3,000 fans that are going to be able to be watching the game in New Orleans,” playoff chair Gary Barta said. “We decided that the advantage was for the No. 1 team to have more fans able to watch them play.”
Swinney last week said that if he was on the College Football Playoff committee, it would be hard for him to leave off a team that played a mostly full season, while allowing Ohio State in after playing a shorter schedule.
The Buckeyes are 6-0 entering the playoff after beating Northwestern 22-10 Saturday afternoon to win the Big Ten championship. Texas A&M finished fifth in the CFP rankings after going 8-1, with its only loss to Alabama.
Swinney said the committee’s decision did not catch him off guard.
“Not surprised, because that’s what the committee has demonstrated over the past few weeks,” he said. “That’s a decision the committee made, and hey, congratulations to (Ohio State).”
Clemson clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff thanks to a dominant 34-10 win over Notre Dame Saturday night.
The winners of the two semifinal games will play for the national title on Monday, Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
College Football Playoff schedule
Rose Bowl in Arlington, Texas, No. 1 Alabama (11-0) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1), 4 p.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, No. 2 Clemson (10-1) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (6-0), 8 p.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN
Clemson CFP history
2015
Beat Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl
Lost to Alabama 45-40 in the national title game
2016
Beat Ohio State 31-0 in Fiesta Bowl
Beat Alabama 35-31 in national title game
2017
Lost to Alabama 24-6 in Sugar Bowl
2018
Beat Notre Dame 30-3 in Cotton Bowl
Beat Alabama 44-16 in national title game
2019
Beat Ohio State 29-23 in Fiesta Bowl
Lost to LSU 42-25 in national title game
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 12:27 PM.
