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Ohio State faces Clemson in Fiesta Bowl for spot in national championship game

Posted at 1:22 PM, Dec 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-04 14:42:20-05

Ohio State will play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl for a spot in the national championship game.

The Buckeyes lost to Penn State on Oct. 22, but closed the season with a double-overtime victory over then-No. 3 Michigan. The Nittany Lions rallied from 21 points down to beat No. 5 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship.

The Tigers (12-1) were No. 3 in the next-to-last College Football Playoff rankings and leapfrogged the Buckeyes after beating No. 18 Virginia Tech 42-35 in the ACC championship game.

Clemson finished No. 3 in the AP Top 25, a spot behind Ohio State (11-1).

Led by dynamic quarterback Deshaun Watson, Clemson lost to Alabama in the national championship game last season.

RELATED: Did the College Football Playoff pick the four best teams?

Alabama takes on Washington in the Peach Bowl in the other semifinal game.

Ohio State and Clemson will kick off at 7 p.m. ET Dec. 31 in Phoenix; Bama and Washington kickoff is 3 p.m. ET in Atlanta.

Winners of the Fiesta and Peach Bowls will play for a national title on Jan. 9.