National Championship – Clemson vs Alabama
The Game
Yes, guy.
We get ROLL TIDE / CLEMSON round FOUR on Monday night!
This has the potential to be the best battle yet between these squads. Two great teams that are a combined 14-0. Two fantastic head coaches. And how about TWO of the best quarterbacks in college football? We haven’t been able to say THAT yet in this rivalry. ROLL TIDE comes into this game off a win over Oklahoma in which they burst out to a 28-0 (!) lead (45-34 final) whilst YOUR Clemson Tigers took apart the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a final count of 30-3.
These are without doubt the best teams in college football. Deal with it.
Who comes out on top?
The Details
Alabama -5.5 Clemson (58)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Alabama -4
Vegas Implied Projected Score: Alabama 31.75 Clemson 26.25
The Match-Up:
Alabama offense vs Clemson defense
QB Tua Tagovailoa had a remarkable season throwing for over 3,300 yards with a 37-4 (!) TD to INT ratio whilst not playing a full compliment of quarters (injury, rest). ROLL TIDE is ranked #1 in passing efficiency and #4 in total offense and they are certain to be a handful for the excellent Clemson defense. The RB committee is deep and Alabama has 31 rushing TDs as a team. The WR group is one of the best in college football with the top-3 men (Juedy, Waddle, Ruggs) combining for 29 receiving TDs. You want a solid receiving tight end? Look no further than Irv Smith who is averaging 17.1 yards per reception. There is good news on the horizon for Clemson. They have the #1 scoring defense in college football (12.9 points per game allowed) and are ranked #2 in total defense, #2 in run defense and #13 in passing efficiency D. Naysayers will tell you that the ACC was down this season (probably true) but Clemson demolished the competition and beat their conference foes by a combined score of 378-93. The Tigers have the best DL in college football (even without the suspended Dexter Lawrence) and should be able to slow down the ROLL TIDE rushing attack. The most interesting match-up of the game will be witnessing how the Tigers’ front-7 deals with an excellent pass-blocking ROLL TIDE offensive line that has allowed just 14 (!) sacks in 14 games.
Clemson offense vs Alabama defense
The Clemson offense really dominated once QB Trevor Lawrence took over the starting gig. The Tigers are ranked #3 in total offense heading into this contest (#10 rushing, #24 passing) and Lawrence is completing 65% of his passes (24-4 TD to INT). The WR group is loaded with talent and speed with Tee Higgins (10 TD), Justyn Ross (20.6 YPC; 148 yards and 2 TD vs Notre Dame) and the ultimate THIRD-DOWN CONVERSION MACHINE Hunter Henfrow presenting a nightmare for opposing defenses. Oh, wait. We haven’t even noted that Clemson features one of the best RBs in college football in Travis Etienne who has rumbled for 1,463 yards and 21 (!) TDs as we go to press. ROLL TIDE has a stingy defense (#13 overall, #19 run D, 15 pass efficiency D) but they have allowed 21,28 and 34 points in their last three games. <grabs popcorn>
Trends, Intangibles and More!
Not much to say here……These are two of the best head coaches that have walked the field in the 21st century…….The only intangible worth noting is the health of the ROLL TIDE QB who is not that far removed from ankle surgery (!).
Summary
This has the makings of a classic. What’s the difference this time around? BOTH teams have WORLD-CLASS quarterbacks.
You can sift through the stats several dozen times (like the MEGALOCKS HOTTIE INTERNS) but it seems like these two teams are REALLY evenly matched. It’s not easy to trust Clemson after playing in the ACC BUT keep in mind they have won nine consecutive games by more than 20 points. ROLL TIDE? We worry just a bit about their ability to put together four consecutive quality quarters vs good competition. It seems to us that the prudent move is to take the points.
Conclusion
Official play: Clemson +5.5 -106.
Total: Lean to the over.
As always:
‘Lean’ implies we are comfortable suggesting ‘small potatoes’ on the game. Nothing more. < but always stay tuned for updates >
‘Slight lean’ implies we are almost certain to avoid the game and/or total from a betting standpoint even for ‘small potatoes’. We give an opinion for those who need to get down and want advice.