On Dec. 28, 2019, thousands of football fans will be rushing to the stands to watch their teams in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl. The two teams competing, Ohio State University, who is currently #2 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), behind  Louisiana State University, ranked at #1 and Clemson University, who is currently #3. Both teams have a record of 13-0 this season and a history of college football championship victories. In the last 20 years, Clemson and Ohio both have had two championship wins. However, Clemson has recently been victorious, with the University of Alabama losing against them in 2016 and 2018. Ohio has not won the championship recently, only taking the championship back in 2014 and 2002. There is no clear-cut winner this year, but the statistics show that each team has a reliable chance of winning this year’s Fiesta Bowl.

Throughout this season, Ohio has played strong teams that were a possible threat to Ohio’s perfect record. When playing teams such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison (#8) and the University of Michigan (#14) who are ranked pretty high out of all the teams, Ohio was still able to beat them with leads of 34-21 and 56-27. The biggest concern for Clemson going into the Fiesta Bowl is that their past games haven’t been against “good” teams. They have played games against schools like Auburn University, who aren’t ranked at all, and Clemson still only took a lead of 8 points. The end result was still good, since Clemson won, but underwhelming to fans who expected a greater lead.  

Fans are questioning the outcome of this game since both teams have high-performing players.  Ohio State’s offensive team was incredibly promising this year. According to CBSSPORTS, quarterback Justin Fields has a total of 2,953 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and 1 interception this season. Running back J.K. Dobbins has a total of 1,829 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. Clemson’s offense remains on top, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence having an impressive 3,172 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Running back Travis Etienne not far behind Dobbins with 1,500 rushing yards, and 17 touchdowns. Due to their close stats, it will make it harder to determine the winner of this game.

College football fans expected to see Clemson once again in the playoffs. In recent years, Clemson has had the winning reputation, with a longer history of being highly competitive in the league. They do not lack the skill or talented players needed to win. But, Ohio State has played a stronger game this season and continues to come out on top. The chances of Ohio State winning are much higher than Clemson, but until the day of the game, the winner will be a mystery.