At this time of the year, no matter who is the quarterback, the challenge will be difficult for second-ranked Clemson in the College Football Playoff, especially when it plays No. 3 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

“When you are in that playoff, you can just probably take off the logo and put another one on there and you are going to find the same type of issues,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.

What are those issues? Stop a dual-threat quarterback who can rip a defense apart with his arm and his legs, and he can do them both efficiently. Of course Venables and the Tigers have their own in Heisman Trophy runner-up Deshaun Watson, while Ohio State has All-Big Ten quarterback J.T. Barrett. Top-ranked Alabama has Jalen Hurts, while No. 4 Washington has All-Pac 12 quarterback Jake Browning.

All four guys are considered some of the best players in the country at their respected position.

“It is fun and exciting with the challenge of it,” Venables said.

Of course the Tigers’ first challenge is Barrett.  The junior has rushed for 847 yards this season and scored nine touchdowns, while also throwing for another 2,428 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has thrown just five interceptions all season and is completing 61.8 percent of his passes.

Like Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans, the Buckeye’s offense goes through Barrett.

“He is surrounded by a lot of good players, too, and that is always an issue. You have to find extra hats,” Venables said. “You have to contain the other skill players, too. They have done a great job of recruiting.”

Venables says Ohio State running back Curtis Samuel is probably the single most dynamic player they have faced since Jackson.

“He is a tough matchup, too,” Venables said. “He is very explosive. He is very durable. He is physical. He has great quickness, very sudden and he has that long speed that you hate when you have to defend it.”

That speed has allowed Samuel to rush for 704 yards and eight touchdowns, while also catching a team-high 65 passes for 822 yards and seven more scores. How explosive is the junior? He is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and 12.6 per reception.

“He is a great player,” Venables said.

And then there is the other running back, freshman Mike Weber. All he has done is rushed for 1,072 yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

“They are very multiple (at running back),” Venables said. “It is not like, ‘Hey, when he gets in here it’s more of a downhill runner and this guy is just an outside guy.’ That can’t be further from the truth. They employ them both in the physical, inside-the-tackle-run game and then outside they can capture the edge. Then there is the passing game as well.”

And that is when it all comes back to Barrett, who runs Urban Meyer’s power-spread offense as well as Watson does Clemson’s.

“They do a very good job of being multiple,” Venables said.