Fiesta Bowl 2016: Ohio State vs. Clemson TV Schedule, Time and Odds
The country turns its attention to the 2016 Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve for a showdown between the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 2 Clemson Tigers in what might be the year's most anticipated matchup.
Both sides took intriguing routes to this encounter. Ohio State (11-1) cruised through the schedule, the exception being a hiccup against Penn State, which cost the Buckeyes a shot at the Big Ten title game. Head coach Urban Meyer's team is out to make up for last year when it missed the College Football Playoff outright after winning in its inaugural year.
Clemson (12-1) dominated the ACC, winning the conference title game against Virginia Tech to close the season. Coming off last year's narrow loss to Alabama in the CFP title game, an experienced squad has eyes on getting it done.
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Saturday's late game is the perfect sendoff for an epic year of action. Here is everything you need to know about the matchup.
Fiesta Bowl 2016
Date: Saturday, Dec. 31
Time (ET): 7 p.m.
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 59
Spread: Ohio State (-3)
Team Injury Reports
| Corey Smith | WR | Prob Sat |
| Justin Hilliard | LB | Out for season |
| Malik Barrow | DT | Ques Sat |
| Kevin Feder | OL | Ques Sat |
| Tracy Sprinkle | DL | Ques Sat |
| Cam Burrows | DB | Out for season |
| Dylan Thompson | DL | Out for season |
| Darius Slade | DL | Out for season |
| Malcolm Pridgeon | OL | Out for season |
| Stephen Collier | QB | Out for season |
| Trevion Thompson | WR | Out Sat |
| John Simpson | OL | Prob Sat |
| Richard Yeargin | DE | Prob Sat |
| Scott Pagano | DT | Prob Sat |
| Jake Fruhmorgen | T | Doub Sat |
| Adrien Dunn | WR | Out for season |
| Adrian Baker | CB | Ques Sat |
| Brian Dawkins Jr. | DB | Out indefinitely |
| Chandler Reeves | OL | Out indefinitely |
Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.
Imposing Their Will
Ohio State impressed on both sides of the ball this year.
Despite bleeding talent such as Joey Bosa and a handful of others to the NFL, the defense never surrendered even 30 points in a game.
Offensively, J.T. Barrett seemed to take a bit of a step back under center, throwing for 24 touchdowns against five interceptions while running for another 847 yards and nine touchdowns. Lead back Mike Weber went for 1,072 yards and nine touchdowns of his own while averaging better than six yards per carry.
Ohio State, though, runs the risk of falling into a one-dimensional attack against the Tigers. The opposition doesn't sound too concerned about Barrett, as ESPN illustrated:
Clemson has every right to enter the game confident—this isn't an overmatched unit because of recruiting. The Tigers defensive line on its own features three quick players weighing in at more than 300 pounds (Carlos Watkins, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence) who helped the defense account for 112 tackles for loss.
For Ohio State, getting around the strong defense means versatility in the running game between Barrett and Weber with unpredictable looks and an ability to get the ball to Curtis Samuel, who has 822 yards and seven scores receiving on the year.
Against a team that will dig in, something Ohio State saw little of all season, the Buckeyes will need an almost perfect performance to overcome a team that nearly downed Alabama last year.
Redemption Tour
Clemson's run through the season to the CFP was almost an undefeated one, a one-point loss to Pittsburgh the lone blemish on the record.
As usual, the Tigers trotted out an explosive offense each week behind the arm of Heisman Trophy contender Deshaun Watson. The NFL prospect completed a superb 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,914 yards and 37 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. He added another 529 yards and six scores while ranking second on the offense in rushing.
Clemson's defense has already been mentioned so keep the focus on Watson—he's unlike anything Ohio State has encountered all year. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield was probably the best signal-caller the Buckeyes encountered.
He, too, doesn't exactly lack for confidence going into the game, as captured by the NFL's official Twitter account:
The confidence stems from experience and momentum. Clemson has been here before and also enters the fray with a more noteworthy resume. After all, the Tigers have bested traditional pro-style offenses and spreads, and they won in tough venues such as at Auburn and Florida State.
Where there was some debate about Ohio State getting into the CFP, Clemson was never in question, not with a single loss decided by a field goal with six seconds left in regulation before the Tigers went on to close the season with 35-13, 56-7 and 42-35 victories.
Equal size, speed, more experience and sheer confidence have the Tigers thinking about another bid for a title.
Prediction
Based on the spread, Las Vegas doesn't want to commit one way or another.
It's not hard to see why. One could lean on the fact Ohio State has a plus-16 turnover margin compared to Clemson just breaking even to make a pick, but that simply leads to nitpicking over strength of schedule.
At the end of the day, it's hard not to base a pick like this around the quarterback—and this game has a clear team with a major advantage. It's Clemson and Watson, a guy posting video game-type numbers and with plenty of big-game experience.
Look for Clemson to score touchdowns while the Barrett-led offense stumbles against an elite defense and settles for field goals a handful of times. Ohio State just doesn't have that superstar player this year capable of countering Watson.
Prediction: Clemson 30, Ohio State 24
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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