Just 6 days away from kickoff of the College Football Playofff Semi-Final at the Fiesta Bowl, both the 3rd ranked Clemson Tigers and 2nd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes arrived in Phoneix.
First to arrive was the Buckeyes around 2:30 PM PST. After disembarking from the charter flight, Ohio State head coach took a few moments to address the media, “Thank you. I want to thank everybody involved with the Fiesta Bowl, one of the most prestigious bowls in all of college football. Very hospitable. It started way back in the spring with my wife and I and then coming to some of the games. Really looking forward to this trip.”
Coach Day then transitioned to a y’all about embracing the moment, while stayed focused on the goal at hand.
“Arizona this time of year is beautiful. Looking forward to some nice weather to practice. We gave the guys a couple of days off. They were home with their families. And now it’s back to work and looking forward to a great week.”
It’s the second time the Buckeyes have traveled to Phoenix for a showdown with Clemson in the Playoff. The last time was a horrifying 31-0 loss by Ohio State. That was then though, and this is now, new faces, new head coach.
However, the Tigers aim to make another statement. They arrived around two hours after Ohio State. The unbeaten defending National Champs have yet to lose a game and yet, they sit 3rd in the country with many staring the Tigers haven’t played anybody yet, and they almost lost to UNC.
Make no mistake head coach Dabo Swinmey is using all this noise for motivation. “They don’t want us in the Playoff!”, said a seemingly frustrated Dabo Swinney in an on TV interview in late November.
His frustration justified, considering they’ve outscored opponents Byron average of more than 35 points this season. The only team better, has been Ohio State, Averaging 36.2.
Dabo also addressed the media after arriving, “We’re just happy to be here, just blessed to have the type of season that we had. Obviously, you got to get picked to be here. Everybody is saying, Thank you for being here. I’m like, Shoot, thank you for having us because you got to get picked to come here. We didn’t really get a choice. We’re just thankful to be out here in Arizona.”
The two team will settle in to Phoenix, with practices, team meetings and outings, as the Tigers prepare to defend their title and the Buckeyes look to dethrone the champs.
Stay tuned for more updates at the CFP Semi-Final at the Fiesta Bowl quickly approaches kickoff on December 28th from State Farm Stadium at 6:30 PM PST.
Written by Adrian Beecher
