The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers are matching up for the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, January 11 in Arizona. The game is live on ESPN for TV coverage and will be from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale starting at 8:30 pm ET.
Alabama comes in after a dominating performance against Michigan State, while Clemson was able to pull away from Oklahoma after some early trouble. Derrick Henry and Deshaun Watson come in as the top players for each team and both were Heisman finalists, with Henry winning the award. Jake Coker will start for Alabama at quarterback, while Watson will get the chance to try and lead Clemson to an undefeated championship season.
Clemson comes into the game ranked number one in the CFP, but Alabama is considered the favorites by Las Vegas and that could make for a very interesting game. Nick Saban praised Clemson heading into the game and said that Alabama will not take anything lightly after coming off of a shutout with against the Spartans. Watson was one of the most explosive players in college football this season and while Alabama has struggled at times with mobile quarterbacks, the team is confident they can handle Watson.
Coker comes into the game with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions, but he has played well over the seconds half of the season for Alabama. If Coker doesn't make any major mistakes, Alabama will be in good position to win the game. Henry is the main player to watch on offense for Alabama, as he comes in after rushing for 1986 yards and 23 touchdowns while winning the Heisman. Calvin Ridley is leading Bama with 75 catches for 893 yards and five scores and he could be an x-factor in the game.
Watson comes in after a fantastic season with 3512 passing yards and 30 touchdowns and he will be the main focus for the Alabama defense. The Clemson offense has some explosive players and was very productive this year and both Wayne Gallman and Artavis Scott will need to step up to get past the Alabama defense. Alabama shutout Michigan State and while Clemson is a better offensive team, the defense is primed and confident heading into the title game.
Scott dealt with a knee issue heading into the CFP, but he looked fine against Oklahoma and comes in with 84 catches for 805 yards and five scores this season. Gallman had 1332 yards and 10 touchdowns and they will be key players along with Watson for Clemson. The Alabama-Clemson matchup is exactly what the CFP committee was hoping for and this should be a very entertaining game.
Prediction:
Alabama wins 31-24.
Check here for the CFP title game schedule.
