No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State to meet in College Football Playoff semifinal at Allstate Sugar Bowl

87th Annual Allstate Sugar Bowl to Feature the Tigers and the Buckeyes

NEW ORLEANS – No. 2 Clemson, from the Atlantic Coast Conference, and No. 3 Ohio State, from the Big Ten Conference, will be featured in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Friday, January 1, 2021, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. (Central) and will be televised by ESPN. The game will be a rematch of one of last season’s Playoff Semifinals when the Tigers held off the Buckeyes, 29-23, in the Fiesta Bowl.

While the Sugar Bowl is known for its raucous crowds in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, this year’s game will have a decidedly different feel and look. Due to the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of New Orleans has approved 3,000 fans for the game. With the restrictions on fan attendance and the Bowl’s contractual obligations, this year’s Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl is sold out.

The winner of this year’s game, the 87th annual Sugar Bowl Classic, will advance to the College Football Playoff Championship, scheduled for Monday, January 11, in South Florida. The other Playoff Semifinal pits No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Notre Dame in a game that will kick off at 3 p.m. (Central) from Arlington, Texas, also on ESPN.

“The Sugar Bowl is very excited to host two outstanding teams in this year’s College Football Playoff Semifinal,” said Ralph Capitelli, the President of the Sugar Bowl Committee. “Since the first Sugar Bowl in 1935, we have welcomed the best teams in college football and this year, we will add to our history with Clemson and Ohio State. While the game won’t look the same due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still proud to once again play a major role in crowning the college football national champion.”

This will be the 18th Sugar Bowl match-up between teams ranked in the Top 5 and the 59th between teams ranked in the Top 10.

“We look forward to hosting the Tigers and the Buckeyes in this year’s Allstate Sugar Bowl,” said Jeff Hundley, the CEO of the Sugar Bowl. “Clemson has established itself as a modern-day powerhouse, and Ohio State enjoys a long-standing history of success at the highest level. Both teams have had outstanding seasons and their rosters are filled with some of the best players in the country. This should be a fun match-up to watch on New Year’s Day.”

This year’s game will mark the third time the Sugar Bowl has hosted a Playoff Semifinal. Following the 2014 season, eventual national champion Ohio State defeated Alabama, 42-35. Eventual national champion Alabama shut down Clemson, 24-6, in the Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl following the 2017 season.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 97 Hall of Fame players, 50 Hall of Fame coaches and 18 Heisman Trophy winners in its 86-year history. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1.6 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.7 billion into the local economy in the last decade.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
SELECTION COMMITTEE RANKINGS
Games Played through Saturday, December 19

Rank
Team
Overall Record

1
Alabama
11-0

2
Clemson
10-1

3
Ohio State
6-0

4
Notre Dame
10-1

5
Texas A&M
8-1

6
Oklahoma
8-2

7
Florida
8-3

8
Cincinnati
9-0

9
Georgia
7-2

10
Iowa State
8-3

11
Indiana
6-1

12
Coastal Carolina
11-0

13
North Carolina
8-3

14
Northwestern
6-2

15
Iowa
6-2

16
BYU
10-1

17
USC
5-1

18
Miami (FL)
8-2

19
Louisiana
9-1

20
Texas
6-3

21
Oklahoma State
7-3

22
San Jose State
7-0

23
NC State
8-3

24
Tulsa
6-2

25
Oregon
4-2

About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Friday, January 1, 2021, at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 11, 2021, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.