Bye week timing helped push Clemson back to College Football Playoff

“I have no doubt that Coach Saban will have our team prepared and that he will lead the Tide to another National Championship victory”.

The records have flipped, but there are still many similarities between the teams. Alabama won last year’s game by five points, 45-40.

After another roller coaster of a college football season full of twists, turns, controversy and outrageousness, the last two programs standing are the same two that played for a title previous year. The associated moneylines for the title bout are Alabama -225 and Clemson +220. Do you think Alabama or Clemson will win it all?

“Last year is last year”.

Overall, this game, like any other is going to come down to the major key factors. The issue in this game is going to be speed, and Clemson simply has more of it – not to mention a quarterback that has played in this game before.

Clemson’s coach’s name is pronounced Dab-o Swee-nee.

“I feel like, at this point in the season, I’m no longer a freshman anymore. We’re built differently from a depth standpoint competitively than we were past year, and that’s always the position you want to be in as a coach because it brings a different edge to your meetings and practices”.

One might think there’s not much to add after that but in Watson’s case there is because by all accounts he’s a better kid than he is a quarterback.

Clemson is trying to win its first national title since 1981 and check the only box left for a program that has become one of the elite in college football under coach Dabo Swinney.

The dominance with which Clemson and Alabama both won their semifinal games, particularly Clemson in a 31-0 drubbing of Ohio State, certainly testifies to Swinney’s belief. The incredible job of recruiting done year-in and year-out by Saban and his staff tends to deflect attention away from what a good game coach he is. These are very impactful leaders, and I could just tell right out of the gate from the very first meeting that these guys were locked in. Look for Deshaun Watson to target Mike Williams deep as well. Watson’s rushing yards also dipped from 1,105 in 2015 to 581 this season.

Deshaun Watson and Jonathan Allen are grouped together because the performance of Allen will go some way in determining whether Watson can repeat his big night (30-of-47 for 405 yards, four touchdowns and an interception) against Alabama previous year.

Favorites are 26-14 straight-up in bowl games this season and 14-25-1 ATS.

-Alabama tight end O.J. Howard was the Offensive MVP of last season’s title game, with five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

The Alabama Crimson Tide (in crimson, obviously) will take on the Clemson Tigers (in white, with orange helmets, according to Bleacher Report). His nine touchdowns are second behind Williams. The Crimson Tide had seven players drafted off the 2015 team – all going in the first 75 picks – that included Heisman Trophy victor Derrick Henry, star center Ryan Kelly and stud defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson.

In the Fiesta Bowl romp over Ohio State, the junior and Heisman Trophy runner-up passed for 259 yards and ran for 57, complementing a nasty Tigers defense that lived in the Buckeyes’ backfield all night.

“I’ve never seen anything like it”, Swinney said. “He’s got a ton of experience”.

But he has thrown 30 interceptions over 29 games the past two seasons. No. 8 Florida State; No. 2 Clemson vs. If it’s the yellow confetti that rains on the College Football Playoff national champions, and it’s raining but not so much on you, then the confetti is just malicious. If Clemson can do that, it should put pressure on an Alabama offense that was suspect against Washington last week.