Clemson opens as favorite over Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl semifinal

As many predicted, the Clemson Tigers were installed as a two-point favorite over the Ohio State Buckeyes for the Saturday, Dec. 28 Fiesta Bowl semifinal according to BetOnline.ag. The game also has an over/under of 63 points. So, if you can read between the Vegas lines, the oddsmakers are projecting the Tigers to beat Ohio State 32.5 to 30.5... or thereabouts.

In the other semifinal, the LSU Tigers open up as an 11.5-point favorite over the Oklahoma Sooners. The Peach Bowl has a 75-point over/under, so the bookies are banking on a 43.25 to 31.75 victory for LSU.

As you are likely painfully aware, the Buckeyes have never beaten the Tigers. In three meetings, Clemson first beat OSU in the 1978 Gator Bowl 17-15 in what proved to be Woody Hayes’ final game as head coach. Then Clemson won in the Orange Bowl 40-35 in January 2014, and finally — the game that we will hear about endlessly for the next three weeks — in the 2016 season’s semifinals, Clemson shut out Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl 31-0; hoping for a better result this time around.