Just like last season, the No. 2 Clemson Tigers and the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes will duel in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Will Clemson beat the Buckeyes again? Or will Ohio State silence its critics and prove that it deserves its CFP spot by beating Trevor Lawrence and company? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Ohio State Buckeyes vs Clemson Tigers NCAA Football Allstate Sugar Bowl Game on January 1, 2021
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
When: Friday, January 1, 2021, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes (+7) vs Clemson Tigers (-7) – view all 2020 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes (+7)
Record: 6-0 Overall / 5-0 Conference
Clemson isn’t the only team in this game with a potential NFL Draft first-round quarterback talent, as the Buckeyes have dual-threat signal-caller Justin Fields. The Buckeyes enter the Peach Bowl undefeated. The last time they were on the field, they took down the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten title game to the tune of a 22-10 score. Fields, however, didn’t look good in that game, as he finished with just 114 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions on 12-of-27 completions. Instead, the Buckeyes relied on the legs of running back Trey Sermon, who rushed 29 times and racked up a staggering total of 331 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State’s ground attack made the Tigers sweat last season, as JK Dobbins and company had 196 rushing yards and a touchdown. Dobbins is gone, but Sermon, Fields, and Master Teague III will get blocks from an offensive line that has five starters weighing at least 310 pounds.
The over is 3-1 in the last four games of Ohio State, which averaged 42.5 points per contest in the regular season.
Betting on the Clemson Tigers (-7)
Record: 10-1 Overall / 8-1 Conference
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has no plans of this game being his last in college. Lawrence is healthy and he’ll look to propel Clemson back into the national championship game. In the Tigers’ last game, Lawrence passed for 322 yards and two touchdowns with an interception on 25-of-36 completions in a dominant 34-10 win over the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Championship Game. Clemson finished the regular season third in the nation with 44.5 points per game. When the Tigers beat Ohio State last season at the Fiesta Bowl, 29-23, Lawrence tossed two touchdowns with 259 passing yards and zero interceptions while also rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown. Not much has changed with Lawrence since. He’s still the same top NFL prospect who’ll look to dominate Ohio State anew. He could definitely light up Ohio State’s secondary that was last in the Big Ten with 261.3 passing yards allowed per game.
Clemson is 3-0 against the spread in its last three games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Clemson wins, 35-31.
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