Maybe he has to say it, but let’s face it – it’s probably true.

Here’s what Fiesta Bowl committeeman Bob Whitehouse said about the matchup given to the Fiesta Bowl this year:

“We’re thrilled with the selection that the College Football Playoff Committee gave to the Fiesta Bowl with the number two and the number three selection,” Whitehouse said via tigernet.com. “We think we’ve got two perennial top ten teams. They have both been in the playoffs twice in the first three years. We’re fortunate that we think we’ve got the best matchup of the bowl games.”

Again, Whitehouse has to hype up his own game, but it’s between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country and both have been extremely relevant since the College Football Playoff existed, like he mentioned. Ohio State won the very first CFP and then Clemson came within one score of beating Alabama last season in the second CFP.

Both teams have NFL players all over its rosters and have fan bases that will travel anywhere in the country to make their presence felt. There are some other great bowl games out there, no doubt. But, when factoring in the magnitude of the game, the only other contest that exists in the CFP is Alabama-Washington.

The Huskies are a great story, but, come on. Alabama is favored by roughly 15 points no matter what betting line you look at.

Mr. Whitehouse, I agree with you. Ohio State-Clemson is the best matchup of this bowl season.

The Buckeyes and Tigers face off at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 on ESPN.