Alex Bowl Prediction Results: 24-14 (63.16%)
Nate Bowl Prediction Results: 27-11 (71.05%)
#1 Alabama vs. #2 Clemson - College Football Playoff National Championship
Alex
This could be the best game yet in the Bama-Clemson saga. The 4th year in a row these teams have met in the Playoffs, and 3rd time for the Championship. While these teams are quite familiar with each other by now, new starting Quarterbacks have taken charge and will square off for the first time. Starting with the Tide, Tua Tagovailoa has been just a shade off of perfect all season long, breaking countless Alabama passing records with his 3,671 yards, 41 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. The Heisman runner-up completed just under 70% of his passes this season and has helped ignite a Bama offense that averages 527 yards and 47.7 points per game. They will be testing Clemson's secondary with a plethora of incredible pass-catchers, all led by Biletnikoff Winner, Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy has nearly 1,200 receiving yards this season, along with 14 TDs. Throw speedster Henry Ruggs III (724 yards & 10 TDs), Freshman stud Jaylen Waddle (803 yards & 7 TDs) and the big Tight End Irv Smith Jr. (648 yards & 7 TDs) into the mix, and you have a receiving corps stronger than some in the NFL. Clemson will need to get pressure with their front line early an often while their secondary plays tight coverage. The Tigers DBs performed well against Notre Dame, allowing just 160 yards with 50% completion from Ian Book. They'll need a similar performance to claim the title in this game. Look for lots of blitzes by the Clemson Defense though, Brent Venables loves to send pressure and be aggressive. Keeping Tua uncomfortable is the name of the game.
On the flip side, Clemson has a new and improved offense from a year ago too, and they can't wait to show the Tide. Starting up front, the Tigers have one of the best offensive lines in the nation, giving up just 17 sacks all season and leading the way for an offense that averages 256 yards on the ground per game. They'll be going against one of the best defensive linemen in the country with Quinnen Williams. Alabama was able to contain Travis Etienne to just 22 yards last year, and he's vowed not to let that happen again. The biggest change is under center, as the Tigers have switched to the unbelievable Freshman QB, Trevor Lawrence. He's been absolutely incredible this season, and could cause lots of headaches for a Bama secondary that gave up 308 yards and 2 TDs through the air to Kyler Murray last week. Clemson does not lack for play-makers on the edge, and none are more deadly than the Senior Bama-killer, Hunter Renfro. In his 4th straight playoff appearance, Renfro will be looking to torch the Tide once again. In the previous 3 meetings, Renfro has accounted for 211 yards and 4 TDs on 22 catches against Alabama. He caught the 2016 Championship game-winning TD and is the most clutch 3rd-down/4th quarter receiver I think I've ever seen. The Crimson Tide will need to know where #13 is on every snap, but can't forget about the rest of the crew. Sophomore Tee Higgins leads the team with 855 yards and 11 TDs. He had a ridiculous circus TD catch against Notre Dame to end the first half and is a match-up nightmare at 6'4, 200 lbs. Another nightmare match-up is the stud Freshman by the name of Justyn Ross. Ross is also 6'4 and about 200 lbs., but this kid can flat out fly. He had 148 yards and 2 TDs through the air against Notre Dame and averages more than 20 yards per catch. Bama's secondary will be stretched quite a bit this game, and I like how Clemson uses their wideouts.
The key for both teams to win is the same, establish a ground game and keep the opposing QB off the field as much as possible. If we've learned anything from watching football this year, it's that both Tua and Lawrence are not players you want to give opportunities too. Both of these teams are incredibly well matched, and I cannot wait to see how this game plays out. I really do think this could be the best game yet between these two squads, and this could come down to the wire. It's always tough to pick in games like these, but I like the Tigers. I think Clemson is going to win this game, because Etienne will have a big night. He's ready to show last year was not indicative of his game, and this kid always seems to get his when the team needs it most. Clemson wins the National Championship 33-31 over the Tide.
Nate
This is my victory lap, given that I’m up by three picks already. That being said, I’m looking forward to going up four when Bama takes down Clemson on Monday. Why Bama? Well its any easy pick. Tua has been the second best quarterback in the country, and he just finished off the best last week. Tua has thrown for over 3600 yards to a bevy of receiving options, including NFL talent like Jerry Jeudy (1,100 yards) and Henry Ruggs III (700 yards). Clemson has a reasonable secondary, but I think the plethora of weapons that Tua has will be enough to keep the tigers on the back foot. If there is any way to punish the tigers, its in the back. Don’t forget the running game for the Tide as well. They don’t exactly run as much as the tigers, but the 34th ranked rushing attack, lead by the Harris, Harris and Jonathan Jacobs, will be a tough task to stop, especially with star D lineman Dexter Lawrence out. On the Defensive side Saban has the 15th ranked secondary in the nation, and Clemson doesn’t have any true big name threats like the Tide have to punish them. I really like Trevor Lawrence, but I don’t think he is quite good enough yet to manage the elusive 300 yards passing that only Jake Fromm and Kyler Murray were able to break. Clemson will try and establish a ground game, but with star players like Quinnen Williams, the best interior D-Lineman in the nation this year, I expect enough wrenches to be thrown into the plans of Clemson, to keep them off track. I think this is going to be a complete slug-fest, but Tua, Saban, and a bevy of weapons in the air is gonna be enough for the Tide to squeak things out.
Alabama: 45, Clemson: 38
Thank you for reading our National Championship Predictions, my next post will give my reflections on the season as a whole and a few things to watch out for next year! Enjoy the game (I know I will) and GO BIG RED!
#CFBKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
