Ohio State football vs Clemson: 3 position battles to determine CFP
The College Football Playoff pits two powerhouses together as Clemson and the Ohio State football program re-unite with a new cast of characters.
The College Football Playoff should be epic, as the Ohio State football program looks to get revenge on Clemson, as the Tigers blew the Buckeyes out when these two teams faced a few years back.
In 2019, the cast of characters is different and these three position battles should determine the winner.
1. The Quarterbacks
College football fans will tell you that no one knows how truly good Clemson is because they haven’t played any tough competition as they cruised to the ACC title.
That said, Trevor Lawrence is still their quarterback and he’s someone who’s won it all before.
Meanwhile, Justin Fields has excelled in his first year under center for Ohio State, but he’s unproven on a stage as big as the CFP.
Both Fields and Lawrence were Georgia prep standouts who graduated in the same class. Lawrence reached stardom a little sooner, but Fields hasn’t been far behind.
Until proven other wise, Lawrence gets the edge here, though.
2. The Trenches
When Chase Young is getting after opposing quarterbacks, there seems to be no stopping Ohio State…and if he’s able to reak havoc on Lawrence, Ohio State fans will relish in the fact he’s doing it against Jackson Carman.
Carman, a product of Fairfield High School (near Cincinnati), was heavily recruited by the Buckeyes, but ultimately chose the Tigers. If you’ll recall, Dabo Swinney made headlines when it was reported he was saying Urban Meyer won’t be coaching that much longer as a sales pitch.
It wasn’t a good look, but he was right. Carman chose Clemson and he’s trending toward being an NFL Draft pick one day.
The edge here goes to Young, who’s been called the best defensive player in college football. If Carman neutralizes him, though, the Buckeyes’ defense could be in for a long night.
3. The Backs
The Buckeyes boast Heisman finalist J.K. Dobbins, while the Tigers’ Travis Entienne was an easy choice for the ACC’s Offensive Player of the year award.
It seems obvious that the running game shouldn’t be ignored in such a high stakes game, and Buckeye history proves that to be true. Remember when Ohio State upset Alabama in the inaugural CFP semifinal.
Zeke Elliott punched the Alabama defense in the face with a huge touchdown run and the Crimson Tide never got their bearings.
Dobbins has to have a good game to take the pressure off of Fields. If Isaiah Simmons clamps down on Dobbins, Clemson may coast to victory.
Next. CFP: 3 reasons Ohio State will cream Clemson. dark
The edge here goes to the Buckeyes. Dobbins has been great and Silver Bullets have proven they can shut down some big-time runnings games. Don’t forget what they did to Jonathan Taylor the first time Ohio State and Wisconsin met. They effectively ended the Heisman talk surrounding the Wisconsin back.