Fiesta Bowl: How Clemson and Ohio State match up

The Fiesta Bowl will pit No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State to decide one-half of the eventual national championship game, with the Peach Bowl matchup of No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Washington deciding the other.

From a widescreen perspective, the Fiesta matches two of the strongest programs in college football. Clemson and Ohio State inhabit elite ground in the Football Bowl Subdivision, as two groups built for annual championship contention.

They are led by two coaches defined by the big picture. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer chase championships not just on fall Saturdays but from January through December, bolstering their title chances through hard work, development and, above all else, top-of-the-line recruiting.

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This talent, and the intriguing matchups they present, will be in full display on Dec. 31. Both teams are seasoned by past College Football Playoff experience: Clemson reached last season’s title game, losing to Alabama, and Ohio State lifted the trophy following the 2014 season.

Both teams tout next-level ability. Clemson is led by junior quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has been critiqued this fall for his unexpected bouts with interceptions but remains a quarterback capable of carrying his team to a championship.

Ohio State will meet this challenge with the nation’s best secondary, a ball-hawking and turnover-causing group led by junior Gareon Conley and sophomores Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore.

The Buckeyes will look to rattle Watson and the Tigers’ offense with an intimidating defensive front. Clemson will combat Ohio State’s depth and explosiveness with an offensive line that rounded into form during season-ending wins against Wake Forest, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

The comparison in talent might be a toss-up, with Ohio State holding a slight but not too meaningful edge. Clemson may hold the advantage in experience, however, even as the Buckeyes’ young core gains valuable knowledge with each passing week.

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What should truly define the Fiesta Bowl, however, is in each team’s narrow margin for error. Two elite programs, two elite coaches. Two elite quarterbacks, with Watson joined by the Buckeyes’ J.T. Barrett. Two elite defenses: Ohio State ranks third nationally in yards allowed per play and Clemson sixth. Two of the most talented teams in the country.

To beat Ohio State demands a near-perfect performance; likewise with beating Clemson. It’s a dream matchup, one that in another postseason format — the Bowl Championship Series, for example — would have yielded a memorable title-game pairing.

As it is, the winner will have vanquished one elite rival only to face another, whether a still-unbeaten Alabama team or a Washington squad fresh off a significant upset. But that’s the beauty of the Playoff: Four elite teams enter, but only one lifts the trophy.

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