ESPN’s Early-Week Studio Coverage Previews College Football Playoff National Championship

Q: Steve Sarkisian replaced Lane Kiffin as Alabama’s offensive coordinator Monday.

Montgomery Advertiser columnist Duane Rankin previews the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

The only football coach to win a national championship at Clemson says he likes the Tigers’ chances better this year than last.

“There’s no doubt our fan base is fired up about the National Championship, and we’ve worked diligently to ensure as many of our loyal fans had an opportunity to purchase as possible”, said Clemson’s director of athletics, Dan Radakovich, per Clemson Athletics.

At present, Clemson loyalists appear to be outpacing Crimson Tide fans in terms of demand. “DeShaun Watson will be the best player on the field Monday night on either side”.

Last year, the game pitted Clemson’s spectacular offense against Alabama’s awesome defense, and it turned into a shootout. Both teams once again feature fearsome defensive lines, even though some of the stars have changed.

Brent Venables noted Alabama was another “quarterback-led” team like Ohio State and Louisville.

During the season Alabama let Damien Harris carry much of the load, but the Peach Bowl belonged to Scarbrough, who rushed for 180 carries and two touchdowns on just 19 touches. The Crimson Tide can ride its running game and defense to victory, but when the big throws have to be made if Alabama falls behind, it will be hard to trust the young Hurts. On top of that, he’s quick on his feet, running for almost 600 yards for eight touchdowns. The Tigers shut out the Ohio State Buckeyes 31-0 in the Fiesta Bowl last weekend, producing one of the year’s top offensive showings in all of college football.

Q: How crucial has Jalen Hurts’ emergence been?

Is this a bit of a copout picking Clemson’s entire wide receivers corps and Alabama’s entire secondary?

DeAndre Hopkins had a productive three-year career at Clemson, setting the school record for receiving yards, touchdowns and 100-yard games. That’s an impressive rate for a freshman, but it’s influenced by Alabama’s ability to protect him.

A touchdown was worth five points, although the conversion was one. Cain also missed the national championship loss. He has allowed 16.3 yards per catch this season, according to Pro Football Focus, after allowing 17.4 a year ago.

Watson rushed for seven yards on his first play. With Ferrell, Wilkins, Carlos Watkins and Dexter Lawrence, Clemson’s defensive line is loaded with talent capable of getting into the backfield. Freshman Dexter Lawrence checks in at 6-5 and 340 pounds and he has played like an All-American this season. And simply put, Clemson has not only the best player but the best players on the field. For the offense, the starting QB, the starting O-line, and the two-deep for the remaining skill positions (WR, TE, RB) are each weighted to represent one-third of the overall offense rating. Consistently making the most of his carries, Gallman is a hot commodity for the Tigers, and, if he is utilized early on, he could help the Tigers’ rushing attack propel Clemson to victory.

That huge tailback wearing a single-digit jersey number for Alabama probably reminds you of Derrick Henry. He took on a massive workload during the 2015-16 school year, completing 37 academic hours so he would have a light class load for his last semester in college.