A rivalry game? What Dabo said about Clemson facing Ohio State again with high stakes
Clemson defeated Notre Dame in the ACC championship game Saturday in a rematch of a loss it suffered to the Irish earlier this season.
Now the Tigers will play Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl in another “Round 2,” with the Buckeyes looking to avenge their loss to Clemson in last year’s Fiesta Bowl.
These are two teams and programs that are very familiar with one another as Clemson and Ohio State are playing for the second consecutive year and the third time in five seasons. Ohio State is now a program Clemson coach Dabo Swinney “absolutely” sees as a rival.
“If we’re playing Ohio State it’s a playoff, or it was a BCS bowl back in 2013 in the Orange Bowl ... you know it’s a big, big postseason game when you play those guys,” Swinney said Sunday evening.
Clemson hasn’t just been competing with Ohio State on the field. The Tigers and Buckeyes often go head to head on the recruiting trail.
The top receiver in the country for the class of 2020, Julian Fleming, signed with Ohio State over Clemson last December.
In this class, Clemson beat out Ohio State for four-star receiver Troy Stellato, while the Buckeyes flipped four-star cornerback Jordan Hancock, who signed with OSU last week after originally committing to Clemson in March.
“I think Ryan does things the right way. I think he believes in a lot of similar things as far as how they try to run their program,” Swinney said. “We recruit a lot of the same guys, so just a lot of respect for their program. Getting to know Ryan over the last few years, he does an awesome job, got a great staff.”
While Ohio State has aspirations of upsetting Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, doing so won’t be easy.
The Tigers appear to be hitting their stride after dominating Notre Dame 34-10 in Saturday’s ACC championship. Clemson linebackers James Skalski and Mike Jones Jr., defensive tackle Tyler Davis, receiver Frank Ladson and cornerback Mario Goodrich each missed multiple games this season. All were healthy and available against the Irish.
“We’re at our best right now. This is the healthiest we’ve been, by far,” Swinney said. “We look forward to competing against a great Ohio State team.”
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
