Clemson football: 5 major distinctions on the line against Ohio State

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, here being tackled by Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in December, is part of a emerging collective of college football stars hoping to play this season.ghows_gallery_ei-OH-200819935-05257c21.jpg /

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2. Potential program-shifting power

When talking about these two programs, you have to use different tiers.

Clemson football has been on the throne of the CFB world. The Tigers have won two of the last four National Titles and they’ve been in six-straight CFB Playoffs. No one can argue that the two top premiere programs in the country are Alabama and Clemson.

That being said, Ohio State has a chance to vault themselves up to those ranks and potentially reel off program-shifting power.

Recruiting becomes a lot easier for the winner of this game. But it’s not just about recruiting.

If Ohio State wins this game, the Buckeyes will be considered a perennial power on the same level as Clemson and Alabama. As a matter of fact, some may even drop the Tigers down a tier.

If the Buckeyes lose, though, they remain below the Crimson Tide and Tigers on the totem pole and some will even begin to peg them as Oklahoma-level pretenders in the playoff picture.

There’s a lot riding on this game in terms of perspective for both programs and that can’t be understated.

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