- The Clemson Tigers eliminated the Ohio State Buckeyes from the CFP Semifinal last year 29-23.
- Clemson has -300 moneyline odds to defeat Ohio State (+250) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
- The O/U for the Allstate Sugar Bowl is 67 points, which is the highest of the two CFP semifinal games.
NEW ORLEANS — The #2 Clemson Tigers face the #3 Ohio State Buckeyes in a rematch of last year's College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinal.
Clemson beat the Buckeyes in that CFP game 29-23 and all eyes will again be on the quarterback matchup between Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields who square off in consecutive CFP matchups.
This will be the fourth time these two programs have faced each other and Clemson has never lost a game to the Buckeyes. Since Dabo Swinney took over as head coach for Clemson, the Tigers have averaged 33 points per game against the Buckeyes.
Swinney voting Ohio State out of the top 10 in the coaches poll could be motivation for the Buckeyes but they’re still the underdogs in the Sugar Bowl at online sportsbooks.
Dabo Swinney stands by his call to rank Ohio State No. 11 on the coaches' poll ballot. pic.twitter.com/JNSTjhtdBH
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 28, 2020
The Tigers will have to lean on Dabo and Trevor Lawrence a little bit more as they’ll be without their offensive coordinator/running back coach Tony Elliott due to him testing positive for Covid-19.
Clemson OC Tony Elliott will be unavailable for the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Friday, Jan. 1, while in COVID-19 protocols.
Elliott will not travel with the team to New Orleans this afternoon.
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— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) December 30, 2020
#2 Clemson Tigers vs. #3 Ohio State Buckeyes @ 8 p.m. EST:
- Spread: Clemson (-7.5)
- Moneyline: Clemson -300 vs. Ohio State +250
- O/U: 67
Clemson Tigers come into the Sugar Bowl favored by more than a touchdown to beat the Buckeyes for the fifth time in program history and the fourth time in the past six years.
In the past three meetings between these teams, Clemson is 3-0 ATS. The 7.5-point spread for the Buckeyes to win considering their history against Ohio State is the best bet for this matchup if having to choose between the moneyline, spread, or O/U.
The -300 moneyline odds for the Tigers to win are a decent leg to add to a parlay if wanting to bet SU on Clemson. Ohio State’s +250 odds to pull off the upset at Bovada are a good value to take a single bet dart throw on.
Clemson being without their offensive coordinator shouldn’t keep the offense from performing and the 67-point total could easily get eclipsed here but college football bettors should know that the Over has only hit once in the last three games between the Buckeyes-Tigers.
Looking at last year's game the O/U was set at 62 and still went under, that trend could continue here especially since both college football teams returned many key players this season.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl’s kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST and will be broadcasted by ESPN.
As a professional sports writer, Robert has written for outlets such as the FAMUAN and other sports-centric platforms. He focuses mainly on NFL and NBA betting, though he keeps tabs on every major sport.
