GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Ohio State made it to the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten championship, and on Saturday night did very little to show it deserved to be there.
The Buckeyes’ 31-0 loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl ranks as the most celebrated pratfall in a big game for one of college football’s most prestigious programs in many, many years.
Ohio State was shut out for the first time in 23 years.
DeShaun Watson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as Clemson blasted Ohio State in the playoff semifinal. Watson was 23 of 36 for 259 yards and two interceptions before taking a seat on the bench with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. He also had 57 yards rushing for the Tigers, who scored in each quarter and held the Buckeyes to 215 total yards and nine first downs.
Clemson improved to 13-1 and dropped the Buckeyes to 11-2.
Ohio State was seeking its second national title in three years.
It was the first time Urban Meyer has been shut out in his 194 games as head coach. OSU hadn’t been blanked since a 1993 loss to Michigan.