The Clemson Tigers (13-0) battle Ohio State Buckeyes (13-0) in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET. We analyze the Clemson-Ohio State odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.
Ohio State heads into the national semifinal ranked No. 2 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA Today Sports. Clemson is ranked No. 3.
Clemson vs. Ohio State: Three things you need to know
1. Clemson has averaged 46.5 points per game (fourth in FBS) while allowing just 10.6 PPG (first). Ohio State has averaged 48.7 PPG (first) while yielding 12.5 PPG (second). The Tigers are making their fifth straight appearance in the playoff and are the defending national champions. The Buckeyes are making their third appearance in the playoff.
2. The game features RB Travis Etienne (Clemson) and RB J.K. Dobbins (Ohio State), both standouts among college football rushers. Etienne has piled up 1,500 yards on 182 carries (8.2 average) while rushing for 17 touchdowns. Dobbins has rushed for 1,829 yards and 20 TDs on 283 attempts (6.5). Both runners headed into the latter stages of the season with fresh legs due to many a second half on the bench watching understudies close out 35-point margins. Dobbins, however, has been used a lot (100 carries) in OSU’s tough three-game stretch at the end of the season (Penn State-Michigan-Wisconsin).
3. Stopping the run and an ability to shut down good offenses makes Ohio State a worthy play as a narrow underdog. The Buckeyes and Tigers played wildly divergent schedules in 2019. In no other area is this more evident than in the offensive averages (and underlying analytics) of opponent offenses. OSU’s smothering of good offensive teams like Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Indiana represent a collection of good-on-good that simply can’t be found in Clemson’s schedule. Allowing a combined 13 points to Louisville, Charlotte and Boston College is the closest the Tigers get to the Buckeyes’ list. And it’s a pale comparison.
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Clemson vs. Ohio State: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:15 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Ohio State 31, Clemson 24.
Moneyline (ML)
Play OHIO STATE (+105) and leave the spread alone. The chances of a close game are nearly dead-even, but Ohio State may well turn out to be an all-time top-10 caliber squad. I peg the odds of a two-score victory much in favor of the Buckeyes.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Ohio State returns a profit of $10.50.
Against the Spread (ATS)
PASS on Ohio State (+2.5, -110).
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 62.5 (-106) is the play for a smaller piece, with the thought this game plays out similarly to OSU versus Wisconsin (twice) and Penn State. All three games played to the Under.
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