No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Notre Dame will square off in the other national semifinal at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
That game was scheduled to be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., but plans changed as a result of rising COVID-19 cases in Southern California and the state banning any fans — including the families of team members — from attending games there.
The National Championship Game is scheduled to be played in Miami, Fla., on Jan. 11.
Cincinnati beat Tulsa on Saturday night to complete an unbeaten season and win the American Athletic Conference, but the Bearcats were left out of the final four.
Ohio State is set for its fourth CFP appearance.
The Buckeyes won the inaugural edition in 2014 but lost to Clemson in the semifinals in 2016 and ’19. Both of those games were played in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
Ohio State jumped out to a 16-0 lead on the Tigers last season but could not hold on.
Trevor Lawrence drove the Tigers 94 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Justin Fields was intercepted as Ohio State tried to answer in the final seconds.
Clemson went on to lose the national title game to LSU and current Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Ohio State is 0-4 against Clemson with all of the matchups having come in the postseason. They lost the Gator Bowl to the Tigers after the 1978 season, the Orange Bowl after the 2013 season and the two playoff semifinals.
Alabama and Clemson will be making their record sixth playoff appearances while Notre Dame is set for its second.
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