The Sugar Bowl Betting Preview: Clemson vs Ohio State Odds and Pick

The second half of the 2020 College Football Playoffs features another postseason matchup between the #2 ranked Clemson Tigers taking on the 3^rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Although Ohio State didn’t play as many games as the other three teams in the CFP, they were every bit as impressive as they went undefeated and also won their 4^th straight Big Ten championship game.

Clemson returns to the CFP where they have become a regular in the National Championship game over the last five years.

Will the Tigers make another trip to the Championship game or will the Buckeyes get revenge for past CFP losses? Kickoff inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is at 8PM ET on ESPN.

Sugar Bowl Live Odds and Betting History

The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:

Sugar Bowl Preview

The 87^th edition of the Sugar Bowl is a rematch from last year’s CFP semifinal matchup as the Clemson Tigers defeated Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. It was a fantastic game that most fans and pundits are hoping will happen again this year.

These two teams have played against each other four times and it’s the Tigers that have won all four games. Their first matchup came in the 1978 Gator Bowl where Clemson won 17 to 15.

They wouldn’t play again until the 2014 Orange Bowl where Clemson won 40 to 35. In the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, Clemson defeated Ohio State 31 to 0. And as mentioned, they played last year in the Fiesta Bowl in a thriller where Clemson won 29 to 23 after being down 16-0.

Ohio State Buckeyes Preview

The Buckeyes (6-0) were the favorite to win the Big Ten this year and they certainly didn’t disappoint even with a shortened season.

In their six games, they played against three ranked teams and won all three by at least 9ppg. Both the OSU offense and defense proved too much for the Big Ten opposition as the Buckeyes cruised to a 4^th straight conference title.

Unfortunately, the postseason hasn’t been as great for the Buckeyes in recent years. For starters, they’re 25-26 all-time in bowl games. They’ve gone to the CFP in three of the six years since the sport adopted this new format and won the National Championship in the 2014-15 season.

Yet, the last few appearances in the CFP have seen the Buckeyes get eliminated by Clemson. Both of those times saw the Buckeyes ranked #3 just like they are this postseason.

This will be Ohio State’s 6^th appearance in the Sugar Bowl. They’re 3-2 in their previous five appearances with the most recent coming in six years ago.

Clemson Tigers Preview

Clemson (10-1) crushed Notre Dame in the ACC championship game last weekend and avenged their lone loss of the season when the Fighting Irish beat the Tigers as QB Trevor Lawrence missed the game due to a positive covid test.

The Tigers are once again in the CFP where they look to make it to the Championship game for the 5^th time in the last six years.

The Tigers are 2-2 in the National Title game as they lost last year to the Joe Burrow led LSU Tigers. Clemson is 25-21 all-time in bowl games.

This will be their 3^rd trip to the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers are 0-2 all-time in the Sugar Bowl having lost to LSU in 1959 and to Alabama in 2018.

Head to Head Betting Trends

• Clemson is 3-0 SU
• Clemson is 3-0 ATS
• Under is 2-1

Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Trends

• 32-2 SU in last 34 games
• 4-1 SU in last five neutral site games
• 7-1 SU in last eight non-conference games
• 15-1 SU in last 16 games vs winning teams
• 1-5 ATS in last six ACC games
• 6-1 ATS in last seven games on a Friday
• 1-4 ATS in last five neutral site games
• 3-3 ATS this season
• 0-2 ATS in last two bowl games
• Over is 4-2 when an underdog

Clemson Tigers Betting Trends

• 19-1 SU in last 20 games as the favorite
• 10-1 SU this season
• 3-1 SU in last four bowl games
• 39-2 SU in last 41 games
• 6-1 SU in last seven neutral site games
• 21-2 SU against winning teams
• 5-6 ATS this season
• 25-16 ATS in the last three seasons
• 3-1 ATS in last four bowl games
• 6-1 ATS in last seven neutral site games
• Over is 5-2 in last seven games
• Over is 6-1 in last seven January games

The spread opened with Clemson favored by 6.5 to 7 points. Since then, it has gone up to a line of 7.5 points in favor of the Tigers with most College Football betting sites. The Over/Under opened at 65 points and has gone up slightly to an O/U of 65.5 total points with most online betting sites.

Free Sugar Bowl Sports Bet and Game Prediction: Under 65.5 pts (-110)

Where in the first CFP game I took the Over 65.5 for Alabama vs Notre Dame, this CFP semifinal I am going with the Under 65.5 points (-110).

In their three previous head to head games, the Under went 2-1 including two straight games. Their classic encounter last year in the CFP semifinals went Under.

Additionally, the two teams have combined to score 52.6ppg in their three previous matchups with Clemson averaging 33.3ppg and Ohio State averaging 19.3ppg.

Although this game will be all about the top two QBs in the country, and most likely the 2021 NFL Draft, with Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, I see the defenses playing a big role in the outcome of this contest.

Both teams have prolific offenses that can score and run the ball with the best programs in the country. Yet, they also have strong defenses as well.

Ohio State is ranked 25^th in points allowed at 21ppg and Clemson is 14^th at 17.5ppg. That’s a total of 38.5ppg allowed this season.

Ohio State has one of the best rushing attacks in the country as they’re ranked 5^th overall with an average of 275.7 rushing ypg. However, Clemson is 12^th against the run at 99.8 rushing ypg.

The Buckeyes only allow 96.7 rushing ypg which is the 11^th best in the country. That’s going to make things very difficult for one of the best running backs in the country in Clemson’s Travis Etienne.

I think points will be hard to come by, and definitely well below their season averages of 42.5ppg for Ohio State and 44.9ppg for Clemson.

When the Buckeyes went up against Northwestern in the Big Ten title game, they only mustered up 22 points. The Tigers put up just 34 points in their matchup against Notre Dame in the ACC title game.

The winner of this year’s Sugar Bowl will come down to whichever QB can make the most plays for their respective offense. With that said, I give the edge to Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers. However, I’m not comfortable with Clemson winning by more than a TD. Instead, I’m more comfortable with the Tigers and Buckeyes holding each other to below a Total of 65.5 points.

Clemson vs Ohio State Betting Recap:

• Oddsmaker: BetOnline
• Moneylines: Clemson (-315) vs Ohio State (+265)
• Spread: Clemson -7.5 (-108)
• Over/Under: 65.5 total points (-110)
• Prediction: Clemson 31 – Ohio State 27