NCAA College Football National Championship ALA vs. CLEM Pick

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NCAA College Football Bowl National Championship: ALABAMA vs. CLEMSON

All times Eastern

Results:
Bowl Week 1: Rick: 5-3; Coin: 4-4
Bowl Week 2: Rick: 4-5; Coin: 2-7
Bowl Week 3: Rick: 11-11; Coin: 10-12
Cumulative: Rick: 20-19; Coin: 16-23

Monday, January 7

8:00 pm Clemson (14-0) vs. Alabama (14-0) (-6, 59 1/2) - This is the game everyone wanted. Alabama and Clemson have been ranked 1-2 all season long and the two top programs in college football will finally meet to determine who's best.

There's not much separating these two, who previously met last season in a CFP semifinal, Alabama taking a 24-6 decision en route to the National Cahmpionship, their fifth under head coach Nick Saban. The previous season, Clemson topped the Tide, 35-31, in the national championship game after demolishing Ohio State, 31-0 in the semifinal.

Both teams are undefeated, whipped through their conference schedules with ease, but, truth be told, the Tide was vulnerable in the SEC championship game, needing a heroic comeback led by backup QB Jalen Hurts for a 35-28 victory, and Alabama also didn't close out well against Oklahoma in last week's semifinal. The Tide led 28-0 early in the second quarter, but were outscored by the Sooners, 34-17 the rest of the way for a 45-34 win.

Granted, the Sooners were the top offense in college football this season, but the Clemson squad isn't far behind, plus, the Tigers play ferocious defense. Clemson knocked out Notre Dame in their semifinal, dominating the Irish in a 30-3 rout.

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To illustrate how close these two teams are, here are the stats.

Points scored
Clemson 620
Alabama 668

Points allowed
Clemson 181
Alabama 227

Differential
Clemson 439
Alabama 441

Offense:
Yards per game
Clemson 530
Alabama 528

Rush yards per game
Clemson 256.3
Alabama 202.0

Pass yards per game
Clemson 274.1
Alabama 325.6

Points per game
Clemson 44.3
Alabama 47.7

Defense::
Yards allowed per game

Clemson 277
Alabama 295

Rush yards allowed per game
Clemson 92.9
Alabama 117.0

Pass yards allowed per game
Clemson 183.8
Alabama 178.4

Points allowed per game
Clemson 13.7
Alabama 14.8

After all is said and done, Clemson should have every opportunity to defeat the Crimson Tide. Given that the oddsmakers find Alabama a six-point favorite, it's only logical to take Clemson and the points, sit back and enjoy what should be a thriller.

Coin Flip: Alabama

PREDICTION: Tigers 34 Crimson Tide 30



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