National Championship Tickets – Alabama vs. Clemson

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws oranges to the crowd after his team won the Orange Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Oklahoma, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The difference in the 2016 National Championship will be the two defenses as both Clemson and Alabama have not only been impressive throughout the 2015 regular season but were both dominant in their semifinal wins.

Alabama will be back in the national championship game for the first time since 2012 after blanking Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl. Ridley had eight receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and it was his 50-yard reception in the second quarter that set up the first touchdown of the game that really cleared the plumbing for Alabama’s offense.

Clemson is 3-12 all time against Alabama and has lost the past 12 meetings.

“The bettors were all over it”, said Wynn Las Vegas sports book director John Avello, who was referring to the favorite. Oklahoma was favored in the Orange Bowl by 4 points.

The Tigers remained the nation’s lone unbeaten team, rolling past Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night.

We all know that Alabama has a great defense, and it has a fine Heisman-winning wrecking ball at tailback, but if Coker plays like he did against Michigan State, there simply isn’t a team in the country that’s going to beat Alabama.

“We’re definitely happy that we put ourselves in this position”, said Jones, who also had a critical interception just before halftime to help keep the shutout intact.

There were two big plays on the drive: a 46-yard run by Watson to start the march and a 31-yard pass from punter Andy Teasdall to defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

The challenge for Clemson will be getting past Alabama, which Nick Saban has turned into a perennial title contender. Oklahoma did not score in the second half, something that had not happened all season long. Clemson dominated the second half and shut down Oklahoma’s prolific offense.

Watson completed 16 of 30 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

“They played in a more physical way than we did”, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said.

Since 2005, only two teams from north of the Mason-Dixon Line, or west of the Mississippi River, have won national titles: Ohio State past year, and Texas in 2005.

On Thursday, against a much better Oklahoma team, Clemson lined up and ran the ball down Oklahoma’s throat, despite the fact that its entire offensive line is different from a year ago. No problem. Standout freshman wide receiver Deon Cain gets suspended right before the bowl game reportedly due to failed drug test. No problem. This could change – I picked OR coming out of the Rose Bowl previous year, and then screamed and yelled that Ohio State was the Lock of the Century after a few days in Dallas. Moreover, unlike Michigan State’s Connor Cook, he’s a dual threat, and athletic quarterbacks sometimes give Saban and his ravenous defense trouble. After Oklahoma marched to a 7-0 lead on its first possession, Stoops was badly outcoached the rest of the way. “This is year seven, and we were able to kind of knock the roof off of it, win another ACC championship, and when you win our league, you’ve got a chance to play for it all, and so here we are”. Henry only had 75 yards in the game, but both of his touchdowns came in the second half.

The Tide looked like a team with no weaknesses against overmatched Michigan State (12-2). On one run, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson kept churning for an additional 5 yards while dragging along 291-pound tackle Matthew Romar, who had a handful of the quarterback’s jersey. “But then he got me the ball, so it’s all good”.