Biggest X-Factors to Watch for in College Football National Championship Game

Sports Illustrated magazine favors an Alabama win in the championship game.

Monday night’s title game in Glendale, Arizona, matches a high-scoring Clemson offense led by quarterback Deshaun Watson against Nick Saban’s latest dominating defense at Alabama, which limited the Spartans to 239 yards.

It makes sense that that’s the easy storyline for this game. Stopping the run isn’t exactly a weakness for the Tigers, but they’re not as good in that area as in defending the pass. They’ve allowed 15 rushing touchdowns, 11 in the last seven games, and five of their last seven opponents have gained at least 135 yards. “He gets the most out of his players and I think he showed that this year when he took over as the interim coach”. He’s been Clemson’s head coach ever since.

Now, he’s got the Tigers within one win of their first national title since 1981. “Maybe we’ll go 9-3”, said McElroy, who backed up John Parker Wilson in 2008 before leading Alabama to its first championship the next season. “It was just a matter of when”. Is there a chance that we will really have a great championship game that comes down to the wire instead of the typical blowout? “This year, we really wanted to make a statement and do something special”. They’ve held the top two spots since. Oklahoma was favored in the Orange Bowl by four points.

Two current members of the Alabama staff coached at Clemson.

A’Shawn Robinson will have something to say about Deshaun Watson trying to get his way. The defense did the rest, shutting down Baker Mayfield and a Sooners offense that was averaging 52 points over its previous seven games. This being said, my heart certainly doesn’t want Alabama to win, either. Wayne Gallman gave the Tigers another solid option on the ground with 150 yards on 26 touches with a pair of scores. “That’s just who they are”. Luckily for him, star DE Shaq Lawson (23.5 TFL) is expected to return from his knee injury. Also, watching the play at linebacker and in the secondary, the athletic ability of SEC teams was quite noticeable.

This year, in Lawson’s junior season, he has recorded 55 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss and 10.5 sacks. In fact, Stallings was right about pretty much everything he said about Swinney during a telephone interview from his home in Paris, Texas. “Based on Alabama’s performance against MSU, and that I just think the line should be -7”. Brown was at No. 2 on Alabamas depth chart at both cornerback and safety heading into the Cotton Bowl against Michigan State.

Senior Jake Coker was almost ideal, going 25 for 30 for a career-best 286 yards. That feeling of helplessness grew exponentially in the second half, with Ridley (eight catches, 138 yards, two TDs) and Henry (two touchdowns) inflicting the scoring damage. The Crimson Tide are led by Rimington Award Winner Ryan Kelly, but also have a ton of talent up front.

Jones added a high-stepping 57-yard punt return touchdown for the Tide, who hardly had to use Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry. Dobbs rushed for 671 yards and 11 touchdowns this season and Prescott finished with 588 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Clemson tight end Jordan Leggett said he has made his decision, but is not ready to announce it.

“Clemson is a great team, undefeated, a great program, ” Saban said. I think they’ll be able to stop that Clemson offense. “They (bettors) laid that -4.5, laid -6, laid -6.5 and that’s how we ended up at -7”. He coached for Alabama. Once the defense begins sucking wind a little, I expect Kiffen and Saban to start pounding Derrick Henry straight into the exhausted defenders. I’m hoping I’m like those who didn’t see Vince Young coming before his transcendent game against USC.