Last year, Ohio State and Oregon broke the mold, making the first College Football Playoff National Championship a 3 vs. 4 affair. This year though, we would've had the same national championship game regardless as to whether this system or the old BCS was in place. The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers took care of business in the national semifinals with both posting 20+ point victories. Now, they'll play for all the marbles on January 11.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alabama Crimson Tide -7
Clemson Tigers +7
Over/Under 53
ODDS ANALYSIS
Betting lines have only been open for a dozen hours or so as of the publication of this article, and we've only seen a mild line movement. Alabama opened at -7 and dropped to -6.5, and we suspect that's going to remain the case between now and kickoff on January 11.
The total is set at 53, something that is a bit odd considering the fact that both of these teams easily played under games in their national semifinals.
2015 IN REVIEW - ALABAMA
The Crimson Tide entered the postseason with just one loss for the fourth straight season this year, but this time, they made it count by dismissing Michigan State 38-0 in the national semifinal.
Jacob Coker has yet to lose a game as a starter in his career, as the one game he didn't start was the one which was lost to Ole Miss. He had a remarkable game on New Year's Eve, going 25-of-30 for 286 yards and two TDs, picking up the slack for a ground game with Derrick Henry which was lackluster throughout.
Henry had 20 carries for 75 yards and two TDs at the Cotton Bowl, the worst game he's had since only running the ball nine times against Charleston Southern. His 3.8 yards per carry was the second worst mark of his season.
Still, Alabama has 11 straight wins under its belt, including going 5-1 ATS in its last six games.
2015 IN REVIEW - CLEMSON
Dabo Swinney said that he was going to have a pizza party when the Tigers got into the College Football Playoff. We can only imagine what type of party he'll throw if Clemson wins this last game of the season.
The Tigers made it to this point by riding their underrated defense. If you didn't think this unit was legit before, holding Oklahoma to 378 yards of offense and shutting it out in second half should be proof enough for you.
Clemson's perceived lack of a schedule this year clearly wasn't justified. This team has now beaten Florida State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, and the fact of the matter is that it's a better holistic schedule as we see it than what Alabama played.
Almost quietly, Wayne Gallman has had six games out of seven with at least 100 rushing yards, and parlaying him with Deshaun Watson in the backfield, and the Alabama defense will surely have a lot to deal with.
BOWL HISTORY – ALABAMA
Alabama seems to either crush teams in bowl games or lose to them. The Tide were embarrassed by both Ohio State and Oklahoma in 2013 and 2014 respectively, but their bowl wins since 2009 have been by margins of 37-21, 49-7, 21-0, 42-14 and now 38-0. This is going to be the eighth straight bowl game which the Crimson Tide have played against Power Five opponents.
BOWL HISTORY – CLEMSON
Clemson has now dismissed Oklahoma in consecutive seasons as an underdog, first 40-6 last year at the Russell Athletic Bowl and now 37-17 in the semifinal. That's four straight bowl wins for Swinney and company, and the Tigers were underdogs in all four games. In fact, the underdog team has won six straight Clemson bowls dating all the way back to 2010, a trend the Tigers hope will keep up on January 11.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The duel between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers will go down Monday, January 11, 2016 at 8:30 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be televised live on ESPN.
