College football playoff: previewing No. 2 Ohio State vs No. 3 Clemson

Finding the right words to accurately describe how much I'm looking forward to this game has proven to be a wildly difficult task. The Fiesta Bowl between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson is an absolute heavyweight matchup; a plethora of NFL draft picks will be present on the field, representing two teams that have remained unblemished through thirteen games. The reigning National Champions will be facing off against the winner of the inaugural College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes are the only team that's not Clemson or Alabama to win the playoff.

There's no doubt that there is a major drop off from the No. 3 to No. 4 spot with Clemson and Oklahoma, so LSU getting the No. 1 spot over Ohio State was pretty significant. And yes, Ohio State had a pretty good argument for being No. 1 in the country, although the committee did get it right. And regardless of your ranking, if you're the best team you'll beat whoever lines up across from you. Talk all you want about strength of schedule, but these are two extremely legitimate football teams, and I'm praying that this one isn't a letdown. Kickoff from Glendale, AZ will be at 7 pm Eastern on ESPN. The Tigers are currently favored by two points.

Let's compare some of these teams' general stats from this year:

• Points per game: Ohio State 48.7  |  Clemson 46.5
• Points allowed per game: Ohio State 12.5  |  Clemson 10.6
• Total yards per game: Ohio State 531.0  |  Clemson 547.7
• Yards allowed per game: Ohio State 247.6  |  Clemson 244.7

Taking these four statistics into account, Ohio State and Clemson have been elite in 2019; Clemson leads the nation in both fewest points allowed per game, and fewest yards allowed per game. Ohio State ranks second in both of those categories. On the offensive side of the ball, Ohio State has put up the most points per game in the country, while having the fifth most total yards per game. Clemson has the third highest point average, and the fourth most yards per game.

The last time Clemson lost a game was on New Year's day of 2018 to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Ohio State hasn't lost since October 20th of 2018 in an upset to Purdue. Both squads have been absolutely clobbering their opponents, although the Buckeyes have overcome greater obstacles throughout the 2019 schedule; Ohio State's last three wins were over No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 14 Michigan, and No. 10 Penn State. Meanwhile Clemson's last three victories came against No. 24 Virginia, South Carolina, and Wake Forest.

The dynamic duo of quarterback Justin Fields (finished fourth in Heisman voting) and running back JK Dobbins has proven to be quite the conundrum for opposing defenses. With two freak athletes like that in the backfield, Ohio State is able to run option plays with relative ease. Fields has rushed for 471 yards on 123 carries with ten touchdowns, while Dobbins has totaled 1,829 rushing yards (third most) and 20 touchdowns (sixth most) on 283 carries.

The Tigers also boast a top-tier run threat in junior Travis Etienne, who has been tremendously efficient for this offense. Etienne's touchdown (17) and rushing yard (1,500) totals aren't quite as many as Dobbins', but he's in the top-ten for both of those categories on 101 less carries than Dobbins. Etienne is leading the country in yards per carry with 8.2. In the case that Clemson's passing game is disrupted, they're lucky enough to have a guy who produces big plays like Travis Etienne.

So yes, Clemson is lucky enough to have a good running back if their air-attack faces some issues. But unfortunately for Clemson, they have to go up against college football's best pass rusher Chase Young, who finished third in Heisman voting. Young leads the nation in sacks with 16.5, despite missing two games due to suspension. Those two games were against Rutgers and Maryland. Can you imagine the stat-padding he could've accomplished against Rutgers and Maryland? On top of all those sacks, the star defensive end has forced six fumbles. Young isn't the only beast on this Buckeye defense either; as a unit they've totaled 51 total sacks and fifteen interceptions. And in terms of stopping the run, Ohio State has allowed an average of 99.5 rushing yards per game.

As the numbers and the film show, Clemson's defense is also really damn good. Definitely don't expect the Tigers to hold this Ohio State offense to only ten points like they've averaged throughout the season. Brent Venables' Clemson defense is highlighted by junior linebacker Isaiah Simmons. He's projected to be a first round NFL draft pick, and has compiled 2019 honors such as the Butkus Award and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Simmons is a versatile defender, as he's effective rushing off the edge and lining up as a backer. On the year, he's racked up 93 total tackles (58 solo, 35 assisted) which leads the team, along with six sacks, a forced fumble, and two interceptions.

It's certainly not breaking news that this game will feature two of the best quarterbacks that college football has to offer, with Justin Fields being under center for the Buckeyes, and Trevor Lawrence for the Tigers. Fields is definitely much more of a dual-threat than Lawrence, although the Clemson QB is still pretty mobile when necessary. Lawrence (3,172) leads Fields (2,953) in passing yards, but Lawrence has thrown 24 more passes this season. Fields has an absolutely ridiculous touchdown to interception ratio, as he's completed 40 throws into the end zone while only throwing one interception. Lawrence has recorded 34 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. Their completion percentages are on par with each other: Fields has completed 67.5% of his passes and Lawrence has connected on 68.8% of his.

I've developed a firm belief that the winner of this game will go on to eventually be crowned as National Champions, regardless of who it is. If you're looking to me for answers on which team will leave this semifinal game victorious, I'm probably not your guy. Both of these teams are so damn good all around, that it's impossible for me to settle on an outcome in which one of them loses. Which is ridiculous, because that obviously has to happen. And as much as I think/want/need it to be a close and exhilarating matchup, both teams are so good that they seem capable of blowing anyone out. When it's all said and done, I'd be stunned if this wasn't the better of the two playoff games on Saturday.