Five things on the line for Clemson football in its matchup against Ohio State
The No. 2-ranked Clemson football team will take the field against the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a Sugar Bowl matchup for the ages Friday evening.
The Tigers and Buckeyes have developed quite the rivalry over the last few years and the two will do battle for a second-straight CFB Playoff semifinal matchup after a year’s worth of hatred and true rivalry.
As we continue to prepare for the upcoming matchup, here are five major distinctions on the line for Clemson football in the matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
5. National Championship berth
Let’s go ahead and start with the most obvious of all.
The winner of this game gets an opportunity to play for the National Championship. The loser? They go home.
This has been as weird of a season as we’ve ever seen and there’s no doubt that it would mean a lot to both programs to play for a National Title in a year where College Football faced about as much adversity as it ever has.
The winner will likely be pitted against the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the ratings for the championship will be through-the-roof, no matter who plays.
It’s an elimination game. It’s win or go home.
4. The undefeated distinction
Outside of playing for a National Championship, there are several other distinctions that are on-the-line for Clemson football as we head into this game.
How about the undefeated distinction against the Buckeyes?
Clemson has never lost to Ohio State in its history. The Tigers are a perfect 4-0 against the Buckeyes, with the first win coming in 1978 when the famous Woody Hayes punch was thrown. Since then, Clemson has beaten Ohio State three more times- all under the leadership of Dabo Swinney and all in the postseason.
Two of those wins were in the CFB Playoff- 2016’s 31-0 blowout and 2019’s 29-23 come-from-behind victory.
It’s something that Clemson football fans love to hold over Ohio State fan’s heads and it’s on the line Friday night. Let’s be honest, 5-0 is a lot better than 4-1.
3. Trevor Lawrence’s legacy
Trevor Lawrence has already established himself as one of the greatest to ever play for the Clemson football program, but he can put himself in air never touched by another Tiger quarterback with a win over Ohio State.
If Lawrence beats the Buckeyes, he’ll be the first Clemson QB in the history of the program to play for three National Championships- Deshaun Watson played for two.
With a win, Lawrence would improve his overall record as a starter to 35-1 and he’d have a chance to extend that with the berth in the National Title.
Lawrence has already accomplished a lot- ACC Player of the Year, AP All-American, two National Title appearances, three ACC Championships, one of the best winners in the history of College Football- but everyone would agree that a loss to Ohio State to end his Clemson football career would be a bit of a downer.
On the other hand? If Lawrence was to beat Ohio State and win the National Championship, he’d finish his career with a 37-1 overall record (the highest winning percentage for a career with a QB who started more than 30 games) and would have two National Championships under his belt.
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.
1. At least a year of unbearable trolling & trash talk
From a Clemson football fan’s perspective, perhaps the most prestigious of all distinctions on the line is the ability to continue unbearable trolling and trash talk that has been so prevalent over the last year, particularly.
Clemson fans love to hold over Ohio State fan’s heads that they’re undefeated against the Buckeyes. There are memes all over the internet pointing to that fact.
But can you imagine what happens if the Buckeyes win?
Ohio State fans have been whining and talking trash to Clemson for a year despite the fact that they lost. Can you imagine how much more unbearable they’ll be if they win? They’ll flaunt Dabo Swinney’s Coaching Poll ranking. They’ll talk about how they ended Clemson’s dynasty and they’ll say that the Tigers never really belonged in the CFB hierarchy any way. They’ll claim the Tigers are dead and that their lack of a prestigious history proves how they’re frauds. The talk will go on and on and on, and it will never end.
Well, at least until Clemson gets a rematch.
There’s a lot on the line Friday night and ‘bragging rights’ is certainly one of them. A win and Clemson football fans are flying high. A loss and it’s entire year’s worth of unbearable, pompous, smug and sanctimonious comments from the Buckeye faithful.