College Football Championship Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Pick – Odds

For the third time in four seasons, the Clemson Tigers square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Championship. Monday night’s matchup at Levi’s Stadium, outside of San Francisco is slated to kickoff at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Clemson vs. Alabama Game Overview

Clemson survived a few close calls along the way with an 8-6 record against the spread in 14 straight-up wins, but it is playing its best ball of the season at just the right time. Saturday’s 30-3 beatdown of Notre Dame as 10.5-point favorites in this season’s Cotton Bowl proved that the Tigers are one of the top two teams in the nation. They are also a profitable 7-2 ATS over their last nine games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their previous five games.

Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns in the Cotton Bowl. This included two scoring throws to Justyn Ross to go with a run game that ground out 211 rushing yards on 37 carries in Saturday’s lopsided win. This game was over by halftime with the Tigers holding a 23-3 lead. Lawrence ended the regular season with 2,933 total passing yards and 27 throws for scores as part of a team scoring an average of 44.3 points per game.

The Crimson Tide won their first 12 games this season by double figures closing as heavy double-digit favorites in all 14 of their games. After beating Georgia 35-28 as 12-point favorites in the SEC title game, they were able to hold off Oklahoma 45-34 in Saturday’s Orange Bowl as 14.5-point favorites. The total stayed UNDER a closing line of 80.5 points against the Sooners after going OVER in their previous three games. Alabama has scored at least 45 points in three of its last four outings.

You would have to give the edge to Alabama in the passing game behind Heisman Trophy finalist Tua Tagovailoa. The sophomore threw for 3,671 yards and 41 touchdowns this season. The Tide averaged 325.6 passing yards a game while still adding 202.0 yards running the ball. This all added up to a scoring average of 54.9 points per game. Alabama’s defense remains on par with Clemson with a points-allowed average of 14.8.

Clemson vs. Alabama Betting Trends

• The Tigers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine postseason games, and they are 12-2 ATS in their previous 14 games played at a neutral site. The total has stayed UNDER in 12 of their last 17 games played in the postseason.
• The Crimson Tide has failed to cover in three of their last four games with the total going OVER in three of those games. The total has gone OVER in nine of their 14 games this season.
• These two teams have met three times in the last three postseasons with Alabama holding the 2-1 edge SU and Clemson going 2-1 ATS. The total went OVER in two of the three games