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On Sunday, the 49ers will square off for the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, but Saturdays always seem to bring out an entirely different competition.  With college football games throughout the day, teammates turn into rivals as they cheer on their former schools.

Today is no different for Nate Clements and Chilo Rachal who have been talking all week (and a good part of the offseason) about tonight’s matchup between Ohio State and USC.

“I’ve been giving Nate and Alex [Boone] a heads up about what’s going to happen,” said the Trojan alum.  “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces coming back on the plane on Sunday.”

Clements, a former Buckeye, thinks there is no way USC walks out of Ohio State with a win, considering they will have to play in one of the toughest environments in college football.

“Ohio State is going to prevail,” Clements boldly stated.  “They’re playing in the ‘Shoe’ so Ohio State is going to be amped up and ready to go.”

Rachal insists that playing Ohio State on the road is no big deal for his team, which has played well on the big stage.

“It’s no big deal,” Rachal said.  “We play better in big games so that’s just more motivation for us.”

For Clements, the key is going to be the Buckeye defense and their ability to force takeaways.

“The key will be turnovers,” Clements said.  “Whoever creates the most turnovers will win.”