It began in 1978 with the punch that ended Woody Hayes’ career, and it continued in 2019 with the comeback that cemented Trevor Lawrence as a superstar. Four games against Ohio State, four victories for Clemson, with the last two being particularly galling for the Buckeyes: a 31-0 Tigers blowout, and Lawrence rallying to win a game in which Clemson trailed 16-0.

So, yeah, there will be a little juice flowing in the Superdome when Clemson and Ohio State meet once again, in a Sugar Bowl serving as a College Football Playoff game on Friday. There are a lot of players on both sides who participated in that 2019 Fiesta Bowl, and a lot of Buckeyes tired of watching their program lose to Clemson.

Will it be any different this time? For fans of in college football betting, here is how we see the second of two semifinals that will determine the participants in the Jan. 11 national title game.

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Clemson vs Ohio State Spread Pick

With three games canceled due to coronavirus outbreaks, the Buckeyes have given bettors precious little to work with. They’ve covered in three of their six outings, but only once in their last four. And Ohio State failed to cover against the two best teams they’ve faced thus far – Indiana and Northwestern, neither of which is on Clemson’s level.

While the Tigers haven’t been the most reliable spread bet, either, they did play 11 games, and they’ve covered in each of their last three, including an utter domination of a Notre Dame team that’s better than anyone Ohio State has played. Combine that with a suspect Buckeyes defense and an offensive line that gives up too many sacks, and this line seems too low. We’ve got Clemson at -7 with DraftKings.

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Clemson vs Ohio State Moneyline Pick

Lawrence is a game-changer, evident in how his ability to run and throw the ball completely befuddled a good Notre Dame defense that had beaten the Tigers without their star QB in the lineup. Ohio State knows that script well. It’s the same one Lawrence used to rally the Tigers from 16 down to win last year’s Fiesta Bowl.

Clemson’s defeat in last year’s College Football Playoff title game to an LSU team that had the best offense in the game’s history is Lawrence’s lone loss as a starter. He’s that good, means that much and is completely capable of beating an Ohio State defense that gave up too many points to the likes of Rutgers and Penn State. We grabbed Clemson at -300 with PointsBet.

Clemson vs Ohio State Totals Betting

Of course, the Buckeyes have some weapons of their own, even if quarterback Justin Fields did look limited in the second half of the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State went over the total in three of its last four games, thanks in part to a defense that ranks 34th nationally (right behind Louisiana-Lafayette).

Clemson has gone over in five of its last seven, the unders coming in the Tigers’ last two, where they’ve locked down defensively on Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Although Clemson has the No. 6 defense nationally, expect the Buckeyes to be more of a challenge, especially if they can keep running the ball effectively behind tailback Trey Sermon. We took the Over 66.5 with FOX Bet.