The No. 3 Clemson Tigers are favorites as they prepare to battle the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN and kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Clemson Tigers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is the underdog in this game and is currently being given 2 points. The Tigers are also receiving -130 moneyline odds while the Buckeyes are +110. If one team catches a lucky break early it’ll create a worthy betting scenario in-game. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 63 points.
With the line opening at 2.5 and the O/U placed originally at 63.5, odds have shifted slightly.
The Tigers are 10-3 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 1.0 unit so far in 2019. The team has posted an O/U record of 6-7.
The Buckeyes have been a nice surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 7.0 units. The team is 9-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 7-6.
The Tigers have gone 13-0 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Buckeyes are also 13-0 SU.
The Tigers are looking to stay undefeated following a 62-17 victory over Virginia on December 7. the Tigers completed 21-of-29 passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence went 16-for-22 for 302 yards and four touchdowns while Chase Brice completed five-of-seven for 106 yards. Travis Etienne (114 yards on 14 rushes, one TD) led the ground attack while Tee Higgins (nine receptions, 182 yards, three TDs) and Justyn Ross (three catches, 94 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Ohio State just picked up a 34-21 win over Wisconsin. The defense let the Badgers rush for 200 yards on 37 attempts, including three rush TDs. Jonathan Taylor was outstandingfor the Badgers, recording 148 rushing yards and a score on 20 attempts. For Ohio State, Justin Fields completed 19-of-31 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. J.K. Dobbins (172 rushing yards on 33 attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Fields (one yards on 12 carries) spearheaded the running attack as K.J. Hill (seven receptions, 83 yards, two TDs) and Chris Olave (five catches, 94 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Clemson’s run the ball on 53.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Ohio State has a rush percentage of 63.4 percent. The Tigers have produced 252.9 rush yards/game and have 40 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Buckeyes are totaling 272.2 rushing yards per game and have 38 total rush TDs.
The Tigers offense has averaged 294.8 yards in the air overall and has 38 passing scores so far. The Buckeyes have put up 258.8 pass yards per game and have 47 total pass TDs.
Clemson has let opponents rush for an average of 106.2 yards and pass for 138.5 yards per game. The Ohio State D has allowed 148.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 99.5 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Tigers have given up an ANY/A of 2.49 to opposing QBs, while the Buckeyes are yielding an ANY/A of 2.58.
Fields has completed 194-of-283 passes for 2,651 yards, 36 TDs and one INT. Fields’ adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 10.22 for the year and 11.34 across his last two outings. In the other locker room, Lawrence is up to 2,877 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 206-of-301 attempts with 31 passing touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Lawrence has a 9.78 ANY/A for the year, although that number sits at 11.69 over the last two games.
Clemson Tigers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Clemson, ATS Winner: Clemson, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The Ohio State defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 51 times this season. Clemson has registered just 38 sacks.
- Ohio State has lost 13 fumbles this season while Clemson has lost four.
- The Tigers offense has produced 13 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Buckeyes have put up nine such plays.
- The Clemson defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Ohio State has given up five such plays.
- The Clemson offense has created 28 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Ohio State has created 34 such runs.
- The Tigers defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Buckeyes have given up 13 such runs.
- The O/U for Ohio State’s last matchup going into it was 58. The under cashed in the team’s 34-21 win over Wisconsin.
- Over its last three contests, Ohio State is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- In its last three matches, Clemson is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Clemson’s last game was 57. The over cashed in the team’s 62-17 win over Virginia.
- As a team, Clemson has averaged 5.1 yards per carry across its past three games and 5.4 over its last two.
- Ohio State has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.5 over its past two.
