2021 Sugar Bowl

College Football Playoff , site of the Sugar Bowl The four teams competing in the Playoff were chosen by the CFP selection committee, whose final rankings were released on December 4, 2022. The committee selected No. 1 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), No. 2 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), No. 3 Ohio State from the Big Ten Conference, and No. 4 Notre Dame, an FBS independent playing as an ACC member for the 2020 season. Alabama entered the playoff with an undefeated record, Clemson and Notre Dame both entered 10–1, and Ohio State entered 6–0. ==Teams==

The 2021 Sugar Bowl was held between the Clemson Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. The game was a rematch of the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, where Clemson defeated Ohio State to advance to the 2020 National Championship Game. It was the 18th Sugar Bowl featuring a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 5. The teams were announced by College Football Playoff selection committee on December 20, 2020. Only 3,000 ticketed spectators were permitted because of the coronavirus pandemic. There were 728 tickets for family members of Ohio State players and coaches and 728 tickets for family members of Clemson players and coaches. The remaining 1,544 tickets were for sponsors, business partners, and local Sugar Bowl season ticket holders. Other than Notre Dame, Clemson's only win over a ranked team came against Miami (FL). The Tigers were ranked No. 2 entering the game. Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State entered the game with a record of 6–0 (5–0 Big Ten) after defeating Northwestern in the 2020 Big Ten Championship. In addition to Northwestern, Ohio State defeated two ranked teams during the season, Penn State and Indiana. Due to a six-win campaign, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney stated that the Buckeyes "weren't a Top 10 team", voting them at No. 11 prior to the game. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 3 entering the game. ==Game summary==

The game's officiating crew, representing the Big 12 Conference, was led by referee David Alvarez and umpire Rob Richeson. The game was played indoors at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1, 2021, with a start time of 7:20 p.m. CST. The pregame coin toss was won by Ohio State, who deferred their choice to the second half, thereby giving Clemson possession of the ball to begin the game. First half Clemson began the game with possession of the ball following Blake Haubeil's opening kickoff. Scoring summary ==Statistics==