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Buckeyes ready to silence Clemson, punch ticket to title game

Austin-Wardby:Austin Ward•01/01/21•

AWardSports

Trey Sermon 13 by Birm-Lettermen Row
Trey Sermon had his best game at Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. (Birm/Lettermen Row)

The speculation, debate and conversations about Ohio State never end, and Lettermen Row is always ready to dive into the discussions. All week long, senior writer Austin Ward will field topics about the Buckeyes submitted by readers and break down anything that’s on the minds of the Best Damn Fans in the Land. Have a question that needs to be tackled, like the one today about the Ohio State score prediction for the Sugar Bowl? Send it in right here — and check back daily for the answers.

Ohio State-Clemson-Sugar Bowl

Ohio State is an underdog against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. (Courtesy/VegasInsider)

NEW ORLEANS — Eventually the storylines fade away and all that will matter to Ohio State is the game itself.

The workouts fueled by revenge are long since over. The desire for redemption that has burned all year will slip to the back of the minds of the Buckeyes. Even the sky-high stakes that come from being in the College Football Playoff won’t really register once kickoff arrives and the focus shifts solely to football.

There has been plenty of conversation about all those other motivating factors for Ohio State ahead of the rematch with Clemson in the Superdome on Friday night. And there will no doubt be even more once the Sugar Bowl is over no matter who comes out on top. But at least for four quarters, simply being better than Clemson anyway and finishing the job this time anyway it can will be enough for Ohio State.

“I think after last year’s game, it was fresh in our mind and something that was used as motivation,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on New Year’s Eve. “And then as the quarantine kind of hit, there just seemed to be more things that were front and center for a long period of time. And then as the season went on and we were able to get the season going again, all those goals were right front and center for us.

Ryan Day-Ohio State-Ohio State football-Buckeyes

Ohio State coach Ryan Day wanted a chance to compete for a national title. He now has one. (Birm/Lettermen Row)

“I think the biggest thing for us is just having an opportunity to tell a great story of all the adversity that this group has overcome. That’s really, at the end of the day, what we focus on because this is an amazing group — what they’ve overcome, what they’ve gone through. … I think for us, the highest motivating thing with that is just the fact that we’ll have something to show for it in the end and be able to tell a great story of overcoming so much.”

All that motivational fuel can make a difference in the preparation for Ohio State, but the semifinal will still come down to how that translates into execution on the same field as Clemson.

The Buckeyes haven’t played their best game this season. They also haven’t had to thanks to the ridiculous collection of talent it has assembled while building a dynasty in the Big Ten, potentially opening the possibility that it has saved everything it has for the Tigers and a matchup it has desperately wanted for a year.

Ohio State got the opportunity it has been craving. Now it’s poised to make more history in the Sugar Bowl.

The pick: Ohio State 34, Clemson 28.

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