Clemson Tigers 2019 National Championship Betting Prediction

For the fourth year in a row, Alabama and Clemson are set to take the field as opponents in the College Football Playoff. For the third time in four years, they are meeting for the national championship. Alabama won the first meeting in 2016, with Clemson bringing the rivalry even the next year. Alabama dispatched Clemson with relative ease in one of the 2018 semifinals before beating Georgia in the national championship. This year, Alabama built a huge lead early over Oklahoma in their semifinal before holding on to win late, while Clemson steamrolled Notre Dame from beginning to end. The line at this writing is Alabama (-6.5), but Clemson has a compelling case for NCAAF betting enthusiasts to consider while pondering if Clemson can do more than cover but win the whole thing outright.

Clemson Tigers 2019 National Championship Betting Prediction

Trevor Lawrence has built credibility of his own

We keep hearing all the time about Tua Tagovailoa and how terrific a quarterback he is — and for good reason. He came on at halftime of the national championship last year, as a true freshman, and led a comeback against Georgia that will always be the stuff of legend. This year he has led the Crimson Tide offense with elite accuracy and arm strength, only faltering late thanks to ankle issues. But Trevor Lawrence has had an outstanding season of his own, coming on to start for Kelly Bryant and throwing for 2,606 yards, 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions. In the Tigers’ semifinal victory over Notre Dame, he threw for 327 yards and three touchdown passes. We saw in Alabama’s game against Oklahoma that an elite quarterback can gain yards, as Kyler Murray for 308 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 109 yards and another touchdown. It’s worth noting that Alabama jumped out to a 28-point lead before Oklahoma’s offense got moving in that game, but if Lawrence can maintain the poise he has shown all season, he should have opportunities to lead Clemson to enough points to keep this close if not win.

Clemson has the best defensive line Alabama has faced all season

All four of the starters on Clemson’s defensive line made the All-ACC team. However, the team is missing defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who faces a suspension that could cost him the rest of his college career due to a failed drug test. Clemson and Lawrence have appealed the suspension, but it is unclear whether the appeal will be heard and will go in Lawrence’s favor before Monday’s national championship game. Even without Lawrence against Notre Dame, Clemson was able to shut down the Notre Dame offense. The Alabama offensive line is a strong unit, but Clemson will be able to challenge the Alabama running game and deliver a pass rush that will cause chaos just like they did against Notre Dame. That line should help keep the Alabama offense from sustaining long drives.

Clemson will manage the Alabama running attack

On the season, Clemson has permitted fewer than 14 points per game — and fewer than 93 yards on the ground per game. Alabama relies on their running game, using a three-man tailback team of Damien Harris (771 yards, 7 TD), Najee Harris (679 yards, 4 TD) and Josh Jacobs (495 yards, 11 TD). Jacobs led the team with 98 yards on the ground against Oklahoma, and Harris scored twice. Alabama has unusual depth at this position, so they can distribute carries to multiple backs, but Tagovailoa is not as much of a threat to run as Jalen Hurts was, and Clemson’s ability to clog holes should lead to longer second and third down plays for the Crimson Tide offense, giving Clemson more opportunities to pin their ears back on the pass rush — and reduce Alabama’s time of possession.