The Ohio State Buckeyes are slight favorites at the top sportsbooks online against the Clemson Tigers in one of the College Football Playoff semifinal games on Saturday, December 31 on ESPN. This game is officially known as the Fiesta Bowl and matches up the 3rd-ranked Buckeyes and the 2nd-ranked Tigers with the winner playing for the national championship on January 9th against the winner of Washington and Alabama. Let’s look at the matchup and college football predictions.
The Buckeyes play the Tigers on Saturday, December 31st in the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on ESPN.
Fiesta Bowl Odds at the Best Online Sports Betting Sites
Ohio State -3.5, total 59.5
Ohio State vs. Clemson
This matchup should be a great one with each team making their second appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers lost 45-40 in last year’s championship game vs. Alabama while Ohio State beat Oregon for the title two years ago.
Top sportsbooks online show that Ohio State features an offense that averaged 42.7 points per game led by quarterback J.T. Barrett and running back Mike Weber. Barrett threw for 24 TDs this season while receiver Noah Brown had 847 yards and 9 TDs.
The Ohio State defense was outstanding this betting season as they were third in the country allowing just 14.2 poitns per game. Safety Malik Hooker led the team with six interceptions while Tyquan Lewis had 7.5 sacks.
Ohio State went 6-6 ATS this season with six games going over and six going under.
The Tigers feature Heisman runner-up Deshaun Watson who led an offense that averaged 40.2 points per game. Watson had 3,914 passing yards and 37 touchdowns while he threw 15 interceptions. He also had 529 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Running back Wayne Gallman had 1,002 yards and 15 touchdowns. Junior Mike Williams had 1,171 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Clemson’s defense allowed just 18.4 points per game which was 12th in the country. They are led by safety Jadar Johnson and corner Cordrea Tankersley.
Clemson was 6-7 ATS this season with seven games going over and six going under.
Game Trends
The Buckeyes are 4-0 ATS at the best online sports betting sites in their last 4 non-conference games. The Buckeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Buckeyes are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 bowl games. The Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 bowl games. The Tigers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games. The Tigers are 1-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The Over is 4-1 in the Buckeyes last 5 vs. the ACC. The Over is 4-0 in the Tigers last 4 games overall. The Under is 9-4 in the Tigers last 13 non-conference games. The Under is 9-4 at the best sport betting sites in the Tigers last 13 bowl games.
College Football Predictions
The Buckeyes know how to win big games while Clemson has yet to prove they can beat a great team. We’ll lay the points and take the Buckeyes in this game and also play the game over the total at MyBookie sportsbook.
