5 Storylines for Clemson-Ohio State Sugar Bowl
This year's Sugar Bowl needs little introduction.
No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State know each other well. They played a year ago in the Fiesta Bowl, with the Tigers earning a 29-23 win in the College Football Playoff semifinal that catapulted them to the national title game.
The coaches know what each other wants to do. The players will recognize each other on film. The stakes of this semifinal won't be lost on anybody on either side.
Simply put, this is a matchup that's not difficult to break down. However, don't mistake all of that familiarity with a lack of storylines heading into the biggest game of this disjointed season.
Here are five to keep an eye on throughout the week heading into Friday's 8 p.m. CFP showdown in New Orleans:
War of words
It didn't take long at all for things to get heated between Clemson and Ohio State. Here's a quick rundown of what's already happened:
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has not backed down from his statements that the Buckeyes didn't deserve to be in the playoff this season after playing just six games and having the Big Ten change its rule to get them into the conference title game.
- Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been adamant for weeks that Ohio State doesn't belong among the four CFP teams because the Big Ten champ only played six games and had the rules adjusted so they could get into the conference title game.
- If he wasn't hated enough in the state of Ohio, Swinney even ranked the Buckeyes outside of his top-10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Ouch.
- A locker-room video leaked of Ohio State coach Ryan Day using some strong expletives to describe what his team is going to do in the playoff.
- Swinney said he believes his staff has a game-planning advantage, so OSU assistant Kevin Wilson trolled the Tigers on Twitter.
- Search Clemson or Ohio State on social media and it won't take long at all to discover how much hate exists between these two fan bases.
Will there be more "bulletin-board material" offered this week? Maybe, but it's likelier that cooler heads prevail as the game gets closer. Then again, it wouldn't be a surprise to hear a player sound off during media availability. Stay tuned.
Renewed rivalry
One of college football's best mano-a-mano rivalries in recent years continues when Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State signal-caller Justin Fields square off again on the field. They've been adversaries in recruiting rankings, draft stock and Heisman Trophy odds for the last couple of seasons, so don't think that this rematch will be the last time these two players are in the spotlight against each other.
They've both got great NFL careers ahead and will constantly be compared. Two incredible QBs who grew up less than an hour from each other in Georgia will be tied together for their entire careers. It might eventually get old, but it's still a really cool story.
House of horrors
Face it, Tiger fans. You weren't real pleased to see the Sugar Bowl hosting a semifinal. Clemson hasn't fared well inside the New Orleans Superdome. A motivated, nasty Alabama squad destroyed the Tigers 24-6 three years ago in this same game. Clemson was beaten to a pulp up front by the Crimson Tide, and it was clear early on it just wasn't the Tigers' night.
Then, less than 12 months ago, Swinney and company returned to the Crescent City for another beatdown. The Tigers ran into the buzzsaw known as 2019 LSU, and the SEC Tigers won 42-25 behind Heisman winner Joe Burrow and quite possibly the best offense college football has ever seen. Do those games have anything to do with Friday's playoff contest? Probably not, but expect coaches and players to be asked about the Superdome struggles.
Xavier Thomas
The talented junior defensive end didn't play at all in the massive ACC Championship Game against Notre Dame on Dec. 19. No reason was given for his absence by Swinney, except that Thomas was simply "unavailable." It's hard to know what all is going on with a player who's been in the doghouse with coaches before, but Thomas was listed on this week's depth chart as a second-stringer.
A future NFL draft pick, he's tied for second on the team with 3.5 sacks, and Thomas overcame health issues to get back on the field to play in seven of Clemson's 11 games. Will he be available for Ohio State? The Tigers could use him because of his immense talent, and with senior DE Justin Foster out all season, this is not Clemson's deepest position.
The controversy
This was the No. 1 storyline coming out of last year's Fiesta Bowl. In the third quarter, officials overturned a fumble by Clemson WR Justyn Ross that was scooped up and returned for a touchdown that would've given OSU a 23-21 lead. After reviewing the replay, they decided that Ross did not have possession of the ball when he was hit by Jeffery Okudah, so the score was wiped off the scoreboard, and the Tigers went on to win the game.
It sparked many words by an upset Day, and the Buckeye fan base cried for months following a ruling that didn't go their way. Did it ultimately cost Ohio State a chance to advance? It's hard to say, but it's certainly stuck in their crawl for 12 months, and now they get a chance to prove if they're the better team the second go-round.
