Fiesta Bowl 2016: Schedule, Top Storylines to Follow in Ohio State vs. Clemson

The Fiesta Bowl between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers has a chance to be the best matchup of college football's bowl season.

The second-seeded Tigers (12-1) and the third-seeded Buckeyes (11-1) appear to be equal in a number of areas, and that could result in a game that comes down to the final possession on Jan. 1, 2017. The winner will play in the national championship game on Jan. 9, 2017, and nearly every expert rates Alabama as an overwhelming favorite to beat Washington in the other semifinal and get into that game.

As talented as the Tigers and Buckeyes are, the duel between quarterbacks DeShaun Watson of Clemson and J.T. Barrett of Ohio State should be one of the top storylines. Both are excellent playmakers who can make things happen through the air or with their feet.

However, as talented as Barrett is, it's clear Watson is the more productive passer. He has completed 329 of 487 passes for 3,914 yards with 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Watson has 526 rushing yards and has reached the end zone six times.

Barrett's numbers are excellent, but he isn't quite as prolific with his passing. He has completed 214 of 346 passes for 2,428 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. Barrett has rushed for 847 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Tactics are sure to play a huge role in this game, and the battle between head coaches Dabo Swinney and Urban Meyer will go a long way towards determining the outcome.

Few coaches have Meyer's ability to take advantage of favorable matchups. Swinney is no slouch in that area, but he may have to go quite a distance to stay with Meyer.

Meyer is trying to earn the fourth national championship of his coaching career, while Swinney's team has reached the playoffs for the second straight year.

"I know their team very well because I know their coach," Meyer told David Hood of Tiger.net. "I know most of their coaches, too. Excellent staff, excellent head coach and they're loaded."

Swinney believes his team is hungry to win after falling short a year ago. “The hunger has been there from day one, been there since January,” he told Pete Iacobelli of the Associated Press (h/t Akron Beacon Journal. “It will continue to be there until the last game.”

Ohio State appears to have a slight but significant edge on defense, as the Buckeyes are allowing 282.3 yards per game. Clemson's defense is also solid, but the Tigers are giving up 313.9 yards per game.

The Buckeyes allow 14.2 points per game and have registered 25 takeaways this season. The Tigers are giving up 18.4 points per game and have 17 takeaways.

While the Buckeyes and Tigers are infrequent rivals, they played in one of the most memorable bowl games of all time: the 1978 Gator Bowl.

Clemson came up with the 17-15 victory in that game, and they clinched the win when linebacker Charlie Bauman came up with a late interception. The play ended on the Ohio State sidelines, and rambunctious Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes took a punch at Bauman as the play ended.

That would be the last game Hayes would coach for Ohio State.

There should be plenty of fireworks in this game, but it would be a shock if it was the same kind that ended Hayes' coaching career.