Title game tests ties in Alabama hometown of Clemson coach

And the beauty of college football, and sports in general really, is that there is room for both personalities in the game. That put me up to 12-5 picking the national title game since I started doing this back in 1998. Nobody has beat Alabama in the past five years without their quarterback making plays.

Many quarterbacks are called “dual-threats”, but Watson is one of the few that actually deserves that designation. He also has two pass breakups and two passes defensed.

Go back to the 1979 Alabama-Penn State Sugar Bowl game if you want to see some hard-hitting football.

The difference? As electrifying as Manziel was, Watson’s a much better quarterback. Alabama has been known to have a fierce defense over the years, though. But if it’s unable to do so… look out for the Tigers. If Clemson gets behind the chains on a consistent basis Alabama’s defense will surely force sacks and turnovers. Shaq Lawson should be healthy for the championship game, and he will only improve a defense that held Oklahoma to 378 yards (and only 67 of those yards came on the ground).

Getty Images Deshaun Watson has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games. Keep talking and we will post so that “the defense that hasn’t been tested” will be prepared. That group was led by Timmy Jernigan, Mario Edwards, Lamarcus Joyner and Christian Jones (with future stars DeMarcus Walker, Ronald Darby and Jalen Ramsey seeing significant time as well). In nine and a half seasons under Bobby Bowden’s son, the Tigers had become so synonymous with inconsistency the term “Clemsoning” was coined to describe a disappointing and unexpected loss.

That group was awesome, but Alabama’s defensive front is better still. The Sooners were a seven point favorite for the play-in game, but the Tigers took it 37-17, successfully shutting down Baker Mayfield’s dynamic passing attack. Since the Crimson Tide is not in session, there are no limits to the amount of time that the team can spend together on the practice field or in meetings.

It has the belief that its No. 1 ranking is warranted. “Clearly, Clemson is a team that is good in all facets of the game. I got my MRI, it wasn’t serious at all”, he said. Bear followed that up with national titles in 1964 and 1965 and had an undefeated season in 1966 that was controversial as the pollsters jumped Michigan State and Notre Dame ahead of Alabama after a poor showing at Tennessee to set up a national title matchup between the Spartans and Irish in the last game of the regular season.

Swinney admitted that he has friends in Alabama who are conflicted when it comes to picking a side to root for on Monday, but Swinney says he understands and has drawn a clear line for family members who might be unsure who to root for.

Reggie Ragland, Alabama LB: Nobody has done more for a more dominant defense the way Ragland has for Alabama.

Tide defenders are not just good, they’re big.

LSU has offered one of Alabama’s four-star commits. Serving at first on an interim basis, he got the job permanently after leading Clemson to bowl eligibility.

Spread attacks have been successful against Alabama in the past.

Hitting explosive plays against Alabama is extremely hard, but something opponents that have had success in recent years against Alabama have done.

Alabama has shown it’s willing to ride Henry, to the tune of 90 combined carries in the Iron Bowl and SEC championship game, but against Michigan State, he was more of a decoy and ran it only 20 times for 75 yards.

In fact, Swinney said, if he could have scripted who he could play against for the national championship, it would be against his alma mater.