Ohio State is set to become the first team in history with a chance to win the Fiesta Bowl twice in one calendar year. The Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 44-28 on New Year's Day and are slated to face Clemson 364 days later on the exact same field, only this time as part of the College Football Playoff.
The No. 3 Buckeyes face the No. 2 Tigers at 7 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve at University of Phoenix Stadium. The matchup will be Clemson's second game ever at the Fiesta Bowl site—Dabo Swinney's team lost to Alabama in the national championship in Phoenix in January.
For the Buckeyes, however, not only are they returning to the same site they played in last season but this will mark their eighth trip to the Fiesta Bowl. That is more than any other program in the game's soon-to-be 55-year history.
Ohio State is 5-3 all-time in its eight previous Fiesta Bowl contests. Penn State, Arizona State and Nebraska have each played in the bowl game six times. The Nittany Lions have the best winning percentage of all teams with more than three in appearances—they are undefeated.
Let's take a look back at Ohio State's first seven battles at the Fiesta Bowl.
No. 10 Penn State 31, No. 11 Ohio State 19
Location: Sun Devil Stadium
Date: Dec. 26, 1980
Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions came from back from a 9-point halftime deficit to nip the Buckeyes. Earle Bruce's team did not score in the second half and touchdown runs from Todd Blackledge, Jonathan Williams and Booker Moore provided scoring for Penn State.
Running back Curt Warner ran 18 times for 155 yards and a touchdown—a 64-yarder on the first play from scrimmage—to take offensive Most Valuable Player honors. Frank Case received defensive MVP honors for the Nittany Lions.
The Buckeyes couldn't stop Penn State's power rushing attack, allowing 351 yards on the ground. The combination of that and a stiffened Nittany Lion defense in the second half forced Ohio State to start off its Fiesta Bowl history in losing fashion.
No. 14 Ohio State 28, No. 15 Pittsburgh 23
Location: Sun Devil Stadium
Date: Jan. 2, 1984
Ohio State scored first, as Mike Tomczak found pay dirt in the opening quarter on a 3-yard run to give the Buckeyes an early lead. Pittsburgh battled back and tied the game at 14 in the fourth when Clint Wilson recovered a fumble in the end zone.
But star Ohio State running back Keith Byars returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers answered but failed on a 2-point conversion attempt to leave the Buckeyes with a slight advantage. Tom Everett made a field goal to push Pittsburgh out front with fewer than 3 minutes remaining but Tomczak hit Thad Jemison with 39 seconds left from 39 yards out to give Ohio State its first win in the Fiesta Bowl.
Pittsburgh quarterback John Congemi received MVP honors after throwing for 341 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. The win was Ohio State's ninth of the season.
No. 2 Ohio State 31, No. 1 Miami (FL) 24 (2OT)
Location: Sun Devil Stadium
Date: Jan. 3, 2003
Ohio State's 19-year hiatus in the Fiesta Bowl ended in thrilling fashion with the program's seventh national championship and first since 1980. When Ken Dorsey's pass fell incomplete in the second overtime, the Buckeyes officially toppled Miami's dominant run under Larry Coker.
Maurice Clarett only rushed for 47 yards but scored twice, including the eventual game-winner in the second overtime. Craig Krenzel also rushed for a pair of touchdowns, orchestrating just enough points to win the game despite the Buckeyes only tallying 14 first downs against the Hurricanes.
The Vest was 3-2 in the Fiesta Bowl.
A remarkable amount of NFL talent from both teams played that night in Tempe. A total of 37 of the 43 starters (Chris Gamble started on both offense and defense) were eventually drafted—18 in the first round. The Buckeyes won the national title in only Jim Tressel's second season as head coach.
No. 7 Ohio State 35, No. 8 Kansas State 28
Location: Sun Devil Stadium
Date: Jan. 2, 2004
Much like the Buckeyes will do this season, they made back-to-back trips to the Fiesta Bowl 12 years ago. But this matchup with the Wildcats was not for a national championship as the game the year before.
Ohio State built a 21-point lead ahead of the fourth quarter and withstood a late rally by Ell Roberson and Darren Sproles, who combined for more than 400 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Santonio Holmes' 31-yard touchdown grab from Craig Krenzel represented the game-winning score.
Krenzel was one of the game's MVPs along with linebacker A.J. Hawk after throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State's record in the Fiesta Bowl was 3-1 after this game.
No. 4 Ohio State 34, No. 5 Notre Dame 20
Location: Sun Devil Stadium
Date: Jan. 2, 2006
Ohio State's third trip to the Fiesta Bowl in four years ended on the right side of the scoreboard once again. Arguably Jim Tressel's most talented team set the table for a run at the national title in the following season with a 617-yard performance against the Fighting Irish. Troy Smith threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 66 yards to take MVP honors. A.J. Hawk was named Fiesta Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player for the second-straight time.
Notre Dame scored first but then fell victim to a Buckeye avalanche in the form of Smith and his bevy of receivers. Ted Ginn Jr. caught a 56-yard touchdown, ran 68 yards on a misdirection for another score and Smith hit Santonio Holmes on an 85-yard bomb to blitz Charlie Weis' team and all but assure victory.
Notre Dame got within a touchdown in the fourth quarter but Antonio Pittman's 60-yard rushing score slammed the door on any comeback attempt.
No. 2 Florida 41, No. 1 Ohio State 14
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium
Date: Jan. 8, 2007
Urban Meyer and Florida destroyed any hope the Buckeyes had at completing a 13-0 season with a firm stomping of 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Ohio State. Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown but hurt his foot in celebration and missed the rest of the game.
Florida's defensive line made the game a nightmare for Smith and Ohio State's offense. The Gators' final sack total of five was one more than passes the Heisman winner completed (four). Derrick Harvey set a title game record with three quarterback takedowns of his own on his way to defensive MVP honors.
Chris Leak won offensive MVP and Tim Tebow scored twice—once on a short pas right before halftime and again on a rush in the fourth quarter. Ohio State had no answer all night and Meyer won his first national title as a head coach.
No. 3 Texas 24, No. 10 Ohio State 21
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium
Date: Jan. 5, 2009
Ohio State roasted Michigan 42-7 in its regular-season finale to punch a ticket to the Fiesta Bowl once again, only to its bid at a fifth-straight win in the game fall short on Quan Cosby's 26-yard touchdown reception with 16 seconds left. Colt McCoy threw for 414 yards and two scores to Cosby to take MVP honors.
Tressel utilized a two-quarterback system against the Longhorns, using star freshman Terrelle Pryor at times as a wide receiver to keep the Buckeyes within striking distance. Pryor's 5-yard touchdown catch from Todd Boeckman cut the lead to two and Dan Herron's 15-yard run made it 21-17 Ohio State with 2:05 left.
That was too much time for McCoy, though, who the Buckeyes couldn't really stop all night. Texas finished with 33 first downs and nearly 500 yards of offense to end Ohio State's three-game winning streak in the Fiesta Bowl.
No. 7 Ohio State 44, No. 8 Notre Dame 28
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium
Date: Jan. 1, 2016
After destroying Michigan 42-13 to finish 11-1 but still left out of the College Football Playoff, Ohio State rallied and finished its 2015 season on a high note with a high-scoring performance against Notre Dame. J.T. Barrett rushed for 96 yards and threw for 211 more and a touchdown to lead the Buckeyes to their fifth win ever in the Fiesta Bowl.
Ezekiel Elliott rushed 27 times for 149 yards and four touchdowns and the Irish never really threatened, trailing throughout. The Buckeyes ran for 285 yards and held the ball for nearly 33 minutes.
The victory gave Urban Meyer's first recruiting class 50 wins over their four seasons to go along with the 2014 Big Ten and College Football Playoff National Championship.
As you can see, Ohio State's success in the desert is as extensive as it is frequent.
The Buckeyes will have another chance to add to that already sterling resumé at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. It will just have to do it against one coach and program to hand Urban Meyer one of his five losses at Ohio State—Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
