Clemson sees CFP as second chance
Swinney says it’s a new team from one that lost to Bama.
PHOENIX — Clemson is back in Arizona, hoping to celebrate a College Football Playoffff victory in the same stadium the Tigers lamented coming up just short of a national title last season.
Ohio State’s last postseason game was also in the University of Phoenix Stadium, where the Buckeyes won the Fiesta Bowl.
No. 2 Clemson (12-1) and No. 3 Ohio State (11-1) landed about an hour apart Monday afternoon at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The Buckeyes and Tigers are both making their second trips to the College Football Playoffff and will meet Saturday in the Fiesta Bowl semififinal.
The winner faces No. 1 Alabama or No. 4 Washington, which meet in Saturday’s Peach Bowl semifinal, for the national championship.
Coach Dabo Swinney has been selling Clemson on putting last season’s 45-40 championship game loss to Alabama behind it by winning this trip.
“That was last year,” Swinney said. It was a difffffffffffferent team. Unfortunately, a lot of those guys aren’t with us anymore. We missed an opportunity last year. We certainly had a chance to win it all. We didn’t quite fifinish like we needed to. Give Alabama credit for that. They earned it.
“This is a new team, a new season, a new opportunity. Last year’s success doesn’t get it done this year.”
Ohio State won the fifirst C o l l e ge Fo o t b a l l P l ayo f f before failing to make the four-team fifield last season. The Buckeyes finished off the season with a 44-28 victory against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
“We’re here to enjoy the sunshine, the desert and most importantly to put on a good performance against a great football team in Clemson,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. “I couldn’t imagine being in a better place with a better group of people than my players and my coaching staffffffffffff.”
Both coaches said all their players made the trip and had no signifificant injuries.
The Tigers and Buckeyes last met in the Orange Bowl after the 2013 season, with Clemson winning 40-35.
The coaches have gotten to know each other more since then on offffseason trips with Nike.
“He’s done a phenomenal job. I just got his book,” Swinney said, referring to Meyer’s “Above the Line,” about the Buckeyes’ 2014 championship season. “I’ll try to get that thing read by the end of the week. I’ve got to look for any edge I can get.”
The Buckeyes have used the past month, since their regular-season fifinale against Michigan, not only preparing for Clemson but getting better themselves. Their big hope is to show an improved passing game Saturday.
“To win this type of game, you have to be nine strong,” Meyer said. “At times, we’re not. That’s not singling out one position group because that’s not fair. That’s not correct. Throughout the recruiting weeks, we kept some guys home to work on position units and specififics. I believe they did a good job. I believe we’re a better team.”
The Buckeyes beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Oregon in the national title game two seasons ago.
“It’s always a little difffffffffffferent feel because you’re playing for it all,” senior center Pat Elflflein said, “but we approach every game the same. We prepared very hard for last year’s game. With a younger team this year, we rely on leadership of guys who have been in the playoffff before.”