2016 Fiesta Bowl Playoff final score: Clemson annihilates Ohio State, 31-0

At the bottom: a custom Twitter list of newsmakers, updaters, and personalities. It’ll just roll all game long.
Above it, we’ll add each score and big play with words and maybe a GIF or two.

Clemson 31, Ohio State 0 (final). I forgot to record an entire touchdown. I’m sorry. This was the most unbelievable result of the entire season, and Alabama vs. Clemson is your National Championship, a rematch of one of the best title games ever.

Yep, this is one of the biggest beatdowns ever for both Ohio State and Urban Meyer.

Clemson 24, Ohio State 0 (2:06, 3Q). Hey, the first points in a long time, thanks to Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman runs on a 40-yard drive after another meager Ohio State drive. The rematch is all but set.

Clemson 17, Ohio State 0 (9:02, 3Q). A Mike Weber fumble pounced on by Christian Wilkins set up ... yet another missed field goal, Clemson’s first and the third of the game. Burned some clock and further discouraged OSU’s miserable ground game, though.

Clemson 17, Ohio State 0 (halftime). Ohio State has 88 yards, only eight of them on the ground. Clemson has double that through the air alone and has nearly matched it on the ground as well. This game could be a little closer, if OSU had hit its field goals, but it could also be a lot worse for the Buckeyes, who’ve benefited from two INTs. Thirty minutes.

Clemson 17, Ohio State 0 (1:51, 2Q). The Tigers wisely dialed up a WHEEL ROUTE, the play that is impossible to defend, and have reaped a touchdown as their reward. Deshaun Watson’s up to 216 total yards.

Clemson 10, Ohio State 0 (8:23 2Q). Not much has happened for a while, other than All-American Malik Hooker picking off Deshaun Watson on a deep bomb, INT No. 2. Also, look at this phenomenal Clemson punt of 67 yards:

Clemson 10, Ohio State (end of first). The scoreboard looks more dominant than it has been, considering Ohio State’s missed two field goals, but it’s still clearly been all Clemson, other than a couple first-down catches by OSU.

Clemson 10, Ohio State 0 (2:16, 1Q). A nine-play drive ends with Deshaun Watson throwing a sideline nine-yarder to Hunter Renfrow and then running in the TD himself. Mike Williams is up to 63 yards receiving.

Clemson 3, Ohio State 0 (5:49, 1Q). A second missed field goal for Ohio State’s Tyler Durbin, this one fouling up a seven-play drive. Rough start to an indoor game.

Clemson 3, Ohio State 0 (9:16, 1Q). Clemson, however, made its first field goal attempt. A 37-yard catch-and-run by Mike Williams was the highlight, and it might’ve been six if he’d kept his footing. Second costly slip of his already.

(12:57, 1Q). The first turnover of the game: Ohio State, the secondary with many INTs, picks off Deshaun Watson, the QB with many INTs. It was partly due to a slipping WR, but Mike Conley was in good position. It only led to a missed OSU field goal.

This is the big one. Yes, Alabama beat Washington in a semifinal, but this one is the semifinal. ESPN’s devoting its top broadcast team, a primetime slot, and most of its top talking heads. Our friends in Vegas see it as a close game. Oh, and it’s a helluva matchup.

There’s an argument that No. 2 Ohio State (11-1) shouldn’t be here. That’s an acknowledgment of things that had to break right after a crushing loss to Penn State in October. The Buckeyes are a young unit with a higher ceiling than this. But they kept the ship afloat, letting the rest take care of itself. They won the game of the year against Michigan and found a way most of the season to get it done.

No. 3 Clemson (12-1) was always supposed to be on this stage. Despite some struggles this season, they probably have the most complete quarterback in the country, Deshaun Watson, and the Tigers want to avoid a second season ending in disappointment in Glendale, Arizona.