Here we go again: Can Clemson change history and turn the Tide?

GLENDALE, Ariz. – On the way out of University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday night, a member of the Clemson football team stopped by a small buffet table that was set up outside the Ohio State locker room for the Buckeyes after the game.

He asked for a plate of food.

His request was denied.

“You can’t have any of that,” he was told. “Ohio State paid for it.”

“They’re done,” the guy responded. “They’re gone.”

The food servers were not sufficiently moved until he offered to trade his tiger-paw visor for a fully loaded plate. That bit of bartering got him some chicken, corn and a biscuit to go.

And thus Clemson departs the desert with full ownership of all things Ohio State.

The Tigers took the Buckeyes’ season in a 31-0 Fiesta Bowl beatdown. They took the Buckeyes’ swagger, administering the first shutout of Ohio State since 1993. They took the Buckeyes’ pride, giving Urban Meyer his worst loss and the first shutout of his career. They took everything but the Buckeyes’ last speck of Who Hash, even raiding their postgame dinner spread.

This was a complete dismantling of Ohio State, and a complete empowering of Clemson. If whipping Oklahoma and pushing Alabama to the brink in last year’s College Football Playoff didn’t establish the Tigers as the newest blueblood in the sport, then destroying the Buckeyes certainly did.

There is one more mountain to climb, of course, and it happens to be Everest. Clemson gets another shot at Alabama Jan. 9 in the national championship game in Tampa.

“Honestly, this is the game we wanted,” said Tigers linebacker Ben Boulware, “We want our revenge. We want our redemption. I think we’ll be coming with fire for the big game.”

They came with sufficient fire Saturday night to scorch the Buckeyes. It was one thing for Big Ten playoff representative Michigan State to be shut out and blown out last year in the semifinals by Alabama; quite another for it to happen to the Buckeyes.

“Ohio State is not used to this,” Meyer said. “I’m not used to this, and we will not get used to this. That’s not going to happen again.”

The fact that it happened once was surprising enough. Almost everyone with a prediction to make expected this to be a close game, and Ohio State was made a 3½-point favorite.

Instead, it was a rout.

Clemson’s array of skill-position talent did its job: Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson compiled 316 yards total offense and three total touchdowns; banger back Wayne Gallman hit Ohio State for 85 rushing yards and a score; star wide receiver Mike Williams had 96 yards in catches.

But the big revelation was the young and ferocious Clemson defensive line, which starts two freshmen and a sophomore. The Tigers have cycled a ton of D-linemen into the NFL recently, but the replacements only seem to be better. That group led a Clemson defensive effort that produced 51 yards in losses and three takeaways, battering and bewildering Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett.

“I don’t think anybody would expect Clemson to be the one to shut out Ohio State,” Boulware said. “It shows we’re more than a high-powered offense. We’ve got some dudes on our side of the ball.”

The leader of those dudes, defensive coordinator Brent Venables, was unaware that his unit had administered the first-ever shutout of a Meyer team until I informed him on the field before the Fiesta Bowl trophy presentation.

“Wow, is that right?” Venables said. “We played so good tonight, controlled the line of scrimmage. What a performance.”

Here’s the really wild part of Clemson’s up-front dominance: Its most-hyped player, 340-pound freshman Dexter Lawrence, did not register a single tackle. Instead, the wrecking crew was fellow freshman Clelin Ferrell (three tackles for loss), sophomore Christian Wilkins (four tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup) and senior Carlos Watkins (two sacks, two pass breakups).

“They’re monsters,” Venables said. “And the best is yet to come for them.”

(A quick aside: How is it possible that after a dozen great years at Oklahoma and four more at Clemson, nobody has hired the 46-year-old Venables as a head coach? Talk about overdue.)

Clemson’s front four will likely be able to pose some significant problems for an Alabama offense that is good-not-great up front and can become one-dimensional at times. Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for a career-low 57 yards Saturday in the Peach Bowl against Washington, and in his past two games he has produced 246 total yards and one touchdown.

Of course, Alabama might still be good enough to win without throwing the ball particularly well. Mostly because it has the best defense in the country and one of the best in recent memory. But even that unit will be tested by Clemson’s myriad weapons.

The playoff will march on without an Ohio State team that somehow deconstructed itself offensively as the season wore on.

In their final three games, the Buckeyes scored 17 points against a 3-9 Michigan State team; scored 10 offensive points in regulation against Michigan; and then produced the abysmal bagel against Clemson. Barrett’s downfield passing ability seemed to evaporate – he didn’t have a single completion of 25 yards or longer in those past three games.

Leading receiver Curtis Samuel was more of a running threat by season’s end. Noah Brown, the hero at Oklahoma in September with four touchdown receptions, virtually disappeared. Senior Dontre Wilson had one catch total in his final three games as a Buckeye.

“We will become a good passing team,” Meyer vowed. “We will. Next year.”

To do that, he might have to enact some change with his offensive staff. Since the 2014 national championship, Ohio State’s passing game has been unspectacular at best with current coordinator Ed Warriner.

So Ohio State is left to regroup from a humiliating defeat. Empowered Clemson moves on to Tampa, taking the Buckeyes’ swagger, manhood and buffet food with them.