Clemson football fans might as well get used to some major competition with the Ohio State Buckeyes over the course of the next few months.
The Clemson football program has become the new king of College Football, but the Tigers have some healthy competition near the top.
As we head into the summer of 2020, the Tigers’ newest rival- in terms of nationwide competition- may no longer be Alabama. As a matter of fact, it may be the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Clemson and Ohio State are currently battling for several elite recruits in the 2021 class. The two programs split with Clemson coming away with a commitment from 4-star DB Jordan Hancock and Ohio State picking up a commitment from 4-star DB Jakailin Johnson.
Though the competition on the recruiting trail will certainly heat up over the next few months, the two programs seem set for another big match-up sooner rather than later: In the CFB Playoff.
Just as Clemson and Alabama seemed to be on a collision course for one another in each of the last four seasons before 2019, the same could be said about the Tigers and Buckeyes now.
After Clemson beat Ohio State in the CFB Playoff semifinals last year, it definitely didn’t look as if that would be the last time the two programs saw each other.
As we head into the 2020 season, the truth is that the Tigers and Buckeyes are heads-and-shoulders better than everyone else. Clemson returns Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State returns Justin Fields. Both teams have 5-star talent all over the field.
While there are certainly other programs who could make a run- like Alabama, LSU, Georgia or Oklahoma- all the rest of the teams across the nation have major holes or question marks. That’s just not the case with Clemson or Ohio State.
When you look at the two schedules, you can see that there’s no opponent with the talent to offer a legitimate threat to either team. At this point, the belief would be that both OSU and the Tigers run roughshod over their competition- perhaps with a close game here or there- on their way to yet another CFB Playoff berth.
Really, it’s only a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ at this point.
Will we see Clemson take on Ohio State in the CFB Playoff semifinals again, or could we see the two teams play on opposite sides of the bracket and match up for the National Championship?
Either way, Tiger fans should get ready because there’s a chance that we don’t just see the Buckeyes this postseason, but for many to come.