CFP Instant Reactions: Clemson Has to Like Drawing Buckeyes
Clemson is in, to no one's surprise.
The second-ranked team in the College Football Playoff committee's rankings earned its spot with an easy 34-10 win over Notre Dame on Saturday in the ACC Championship.
The opponent is the real intrigue. While No. 3 Ohio State's inclusion in the top-4 despite playing just six total games has dominated the CFP debate for the last few weeks, there was never any indication from the committee that the Buckeyes were going to be left out.
That proved to be the case, and a rematch of last year's thrilling Fiesta Bowl between Clemson and Ohio State is on in the New Orleans Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Forget all the reasons why the Buckeyes got in. The attention turns to how they match up with the Tigers, and on paper, Clemson has to like its chances.
This is not the OSU team from a year ago when it had a dominant defensive front led by Chase Young and one of the nation's toughest secondaries behind Jeffery Okudah and Damon Arnette. Those guys are in the NFL now.
Dabo Swinney's squad has the fourth-best scoring offense in the country while the Buckeyes' defense is ranked 24th in points allowed per game. Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence torched OSU last year with his running ability and showed off a similar burst against Notre Dame.
The Clemson defense is different but still dominant. OSU counters with star QB Justin Fields and a pair of extremely talented receivers, when healthy, while running back Trey Sermon rushed for over 300 yards against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship win.
Still, this OSU offense doesn't quite have the same juice as last year and hasn't played enough games to put it all together. And don't forget, Clemson is a perfect 4-0 against the Buckeyes all-time, including two wins in the CFP.
It'll be another fun matchup with a ton of knowns shared between both teams, and it'll be an opportunity for Ohio State and coach Ryan Day to exact revenge from an emotional loss last year that had a controversial incomplete-pass call go Clemson's way.
Here are several other quick thoughts from the CFP's announcement of the 2020 field:
- The committee never truly considered putting Texas A&M in over the Buckeyes. In fact, the lesser number of games apparently wasn't ever an issue as committee chairman Gary Barta said there was "no dissension in the room" concerning OSU.
- Notre Dame was the right choice to be the final team included as the Irish simply had a better resume than the Aggies, much to the chagrin of Jimbo Fisher. That win over a ranked UNC team probably was the deciding factor, even though ND is the first team to lose a conference title game and get into the CFP the next day.
- At first, it was a little surprising that No. 1 Alabama chose Dallas and the Cotton Bowl over a trip to New Orleans, where the Crimson Tide have had tons of success. But then Barta announced that there will be 16,000 fans at AT&T Stadium and just 3,000 at the Superdome in Louisiana. It was an easy decision for Nick Saban.
- Lawrence vs. Fields, part II is an NFL scouts dream. While it shouldn't be a debate any longer who the No. 1 pick is going to be in the 2021 NFL Draft, expect some pundits to create some uncertainty to drive attention to this game.
- These two QBs wrapping up their college careers with another showdown is one of the great storylines for this year's CFP. Lawrence and Fields have been linked for years, going back to growing up about 45 minutes away from each other in Georgia, where they became two of the most highly-regarded recruits ever. The rivalry continues.
- The Buckeyes and Day complained an awful lot last winter, and if they try to play that card again, it would be a big mistake and only fuel Clemson. It's a storyline to watch.
- It's a shame that the CFP committee has completely disregarded Group of 5 teams, and it just isn't being properly justified. Simply saying a Cincinnati didn't stack up because of its resume isn't enough. What are the Bearcats supposed to do? They won every game in front of them with one of the best defenses in the country and claimed a conference title, yet no love for Luck Fickell's bunch. This doesn't necessarily mean they should be in the top-4, but at least act like they exist.
- The CFP has become an exclusive club, and you're going to hear a lot about an 8-team playoff over the next couple of weeks, but bottom line, it's not happening. Why would the most powerful voices in the sport, like Saban and Swinney, want to have to play more games to win a title?
- Big Ten has been making things up as it goes for pretty much all year so it's going to make sure Ohio State's COVID-19 protocols are adapted so the Buckeyes can get as many players on the field as possible. It's not a bad thing, just part of what's been the most oddly-handled situation in college football.
