The 2019 Fiesta Bowl is one of two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups, and State Farm Stadium just outside Phoenix will host two of college football's most dominant programs on Saturday as No. 2 Ohio State takes on No. 3 Clemson. The Buckeyes dominated throughout the season, winning by an average of 36.2 points per game on their way to a 13-0 record and the Big Ten title. Meanwhile, Clemson is the defending national champion and is also coming into Saturday's 8 p.m. ET kickoff at 13-0, having won the ACC Championship Game over Virginia 62-17.
The Tigers have more recent College Football Playoff experience and had an equally dominant regular season, making them 2.5-point favorites with the total at 62.5 in the latest Clemson vs. Ohio State odds. But before you make your 2019 College Football Playoff predictions, be sure to check out the Ohio State vs. Clemson picks from SportsLine college football expert Barrett Sallee.
When it comes to college football, there are few who deserve the "expert" tag quite like Sallee. The CBS writer and analyst hosts shows on SiriusXM College, writes for CBSSports.com and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ, as well as countless radio shows across the nation as a guest.
Sallee debuted with SportsLine in 2017 and has delivered big-time with his college football picks. He's on a blistering roll again in 2019, going 30-14-1 on his college football best bets and 45-26 on his college football picks overall. What's more, he's had a great feel for these programs, posting a record of 5-1 on picks involving the Tigers or Buckeyes over his last six picks.
Now, he has zeroed in on Clemson vs. Ohio State from every angle and released another confident against the spread pick. Go to SportsLine now to see it. Here are several college football lines and trends for Ohio State vs. Clemson:
- Clemson vs. Ohio State spread: Clemson -2.5
- Clemson vs. Ohio State over-under: 62.5 points
- Clemson vs. Ohio State money line: Clemson -130, Ohio State +109
- Clemson: The Tigers are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 bowl games.
- Ohio State: The Buckeyes are 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 games against a team with a winning record.
The Tigers out-gained opponents by an average of 303 yards per game and outscored them by 35.9 points per game. Sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence looked a little shakier than expected early in the season with eight interceptions in his first seven games. But he finished the season with five consecutive games where he completed at least 70 percent of his passes, threw for at least 200 yards and threw at least three touchdown passes.
Meanwhile, the Clemson defense was even better in 2019 than last season. The Tigers allowed just 10.6 points and 244.7 yards per game. Isaiah Simmons is one of the nation's most dynamic defenders and he'll enter Saturday's game with a chip on his shoulder as most of the defensive talk leading into this matchup has surrounded Ohio State defensive end Chase Young. Simmons has 93 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery this season.
Even so, the powerful Tigers aren't assured of covering the Ohio State vs. Clemson spread in the Fiesta Bowl 2019 against a Buckeyes squad that has been dominant as well.
Ohio State is hoping star quarterback Justin Fields will be fully healthy after playing the final month of the season on a sprained MCL. Fields completed 67.5 percent of his passes this season for 2,953 yards and 40 touchdowns with just one interception this year and also rushed for 471 yards and 10 touchdowns despite being hobbled late in the year.
Fields and superstar running back J.K. Dobbins (1,829-20) should be able to occupy linebackers and safeties with RPOs and allow the Buckeyes to isolate playmakers like Chris Olave (45-790-11) and K.J. Hill (51-569-10) on the outside.
With two defenses loaded with future NFL talent on the field, Sallee is backing the under. He has also identified the critical x-factor that has him all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing it at SportsLine.
Who wins Clemson vs. Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Ohio State vs. Clemson spread you should jump on Saturday, all from the expert who is hitting over 80 percent of his picks involving these two teams, and find out.
