Ohio State vs Clemson FREE Fiesta Bowl Pick — King Sports Picks
#3 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–1 SU, 6–6 ATS, 6–6 O/U) vs. #2 Clemson Tigers (12–1 SU, 6–7 ATS, 7–6 O/U)
Saturday December 31, 2016 at 7:00pm EST
Line: Clemson +2.5, 59
In Game 2 today of our College Football Playoff matches up the Ohio State Buckeyes vs the Clemson Tigers in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State was a controversial pick for the four team playoff, considering they didn’t even make the Big 10 Title Game. Clemson lost 1 game all season which came on November 12th to Pitt by 1 point.
Ohio State was a controversial pick for the College Football Playoff considering they had two losses but they were arguably one of the top teams in the country this season. It’s hard to overlook a bad loss at Michigan State on November 19th and also a tight win (24–20 vs Northwestern at home. On the flip side, they dismantled a pretty decent Nebraska team 62–3, they beat Wisconsin on the road in OT and Oklahoma on the road by 21 points. Not to mention their final game of the season beating Michigan in OT. But which Ohio State team shows up vs Clemson?
The Buckeyes have one of the top QB’s in the country under center in JT Barrrett. Barrett threw for 3,275 yards with 33 TDs and just five picks. Urban Meyer can trust Barrett’s decision making in the heat of the moment. Ohio State scores a lot of points (42 PPG) and they can throw and pass the ball. OSU has two featured backs in addition to JT Barrett, which include Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel. The two combined for 17 touchdowns and when you throw Barrett into the mix these three rushed for 26 touchdowns. This should be a concern for Clemson who’s defense allows 125 yards per game but this will be their toughest rushing opponent.
Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers are hoping for a shot at redemption in the national title game but first they have go through the Buckeyes. The Tigers had some solid wins this season which included victories over Auburn, Louisville, Florida State and Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
Deshaun Watson was a preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy but his 37 touchdowns to 15 picks wasn’t good enough for consideration. This Clemson team isn’t as good as the 2015 team but they do feature one of the best QB to WR combinations in Watson to Mike Williams. Williams had 84 catches for 1,171 yards and 10 scores on the season. Clemson may be a tick behind Ohio State on offense but they certainly can go toe to toe with the Buckeyes if it becomes an offensive show.
This should be the perfect scenario for the Tigers considering they know what it takes to get to the championship. Unfortunately, so do Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. I think the Buckeyes defense is slightly better than Clemson and that makes the difference in a game of this magnitude. They should be able to make key stops down the line. It’s hard to go against Urban Meyer and a month of preparation. Ohio State gets redemption over Clemson from their 2014 Orange Bowl loss. Expect the Buckeyes to cover the spread, win this game and set up a Nick Saban vs Urban Meyer matchup.
