The No. 2 Clemson Tigers are entering the College Football Playoff Championship Game as underdogs as they prepare to battle the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. ESPN owns the TV rights and the game is scheduled to get underway at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Clemson Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview
In this Monday game, Alabama has been tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 6 points. The Tigers are also receiving +190 moneyline odds while the Crimson Tide are -240. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 59.5 points. It appears that there might be some solid live betting possibilities for the matchup.
The sharp action has been siding with both the Tigers and the under. The opening line was originally set at -7 while the total was initially 62.5.
Each of these teams has rewarded gamblers this season as the Tigers have gained 6.0 units while the Crimson Tide are ahead 3.0 units.
The Tigers have gone 14-0 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Crimson Tide are also 14-0 SU.
The Tigers are hoping to stay unbeaten following a 30-3 win over Notre Dame last week. The defense did its part in the win, limiting the Fighting Irish to just 160 passing yards and 88 yards on the ground. Dexter Williams had a productive day for the Fighting Irish in that one with 54 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Offensively, Trevor Lawrence completed 27 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Travis Etienne (109 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) led the running attack. Amari Rodgers (six receptions, 26 yards) and Justyn Ross (six catches, 148 yards, two TDs) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Alabama just picked up a 45-34 win over Oklahoma. The defense let the Sooners pass for 308 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 163 yards and two scores. Kyler Murray had a productive outing in the defeat for Oklahoma, recording 109 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts. For Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa completed 24-of-27 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns. Josh Jacobs (98 rushing yards on 15 attempts) and Damien Harris (48 yards on 13 carries, two TDs) spearheaded the running game while Devonta Smith (six receptions, 104 yards, one TD) and Jerry Jeudy (four catches, 73 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the win.
Clemson has run the ball on 53.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Alabama has an overall rush percentage of 57.1 percent. The Tigers have run for 256 yards per game and have 47 scores on the ground this year. The Tide are logging 202 rush yards per game and have 33 total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Tigers might have an edge when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game, as their backfield has logged 6.7 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 2.4 to opponents. The Crimson Tide have recorded 5.3 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 3.5 to opponents.
The Tigers offense has averaged 274 yards in the air overall and has 34 passing TDs so far. The Tide have produced 326 pass yards per game and have 50 total pass scores.
Defensively, Clemson has allowed opponents to run for an average of 93 yards and pass for 182 yards per game. The Alabama defense has given up 187.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 120.3 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Tigers have given up an ANY/A of 4.35 to opposing QBs, while the Tide are allowing an ANY/A of 4.41.
Offensively, Lawrence has put up 2,815 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 227-of-341 attempts with 25 passing scores and only four interceptions. He has an 8.75 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.76 over the last two outings.
Travis Etienne, Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins have combined to account for 580 total yards and eight touchdowns over the last two outings.
Tua Tagovailoa has completed 213-of-296 passes for 3,507 yards, 40 TDs and two INTs for Alabama. His ANY/A stands at 13.53 for the year and 8.53 across his past two outings.
Josh Jacobs, Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith have combined to account for 504 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns the last couple of games.
When these two schools faced one another a year ago, Alabama emerged victorious by a score of 24-6.
NCAA Betting Pick: Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
SU Winner – Alabama, ATS Winner – Alabama, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Clemson D has sacked opposing QBs 52 times this season. Alabama has recorded just 45 sacks.
The Alabama offense has lost seven fumbles this season while the Clemson offense has lost nine.
The Tigers offense has produced 20 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Crimson Tide have accounted for 25 such plays.
The Clemson defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Alabama has given up five such plays.
The Clemson offense has created 43 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Alabama has created 19 such runs.
The Tigers defense has allowed 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Crimson Tide have given up 17 such runs.
The Over/Under for Alabama’s last game was 80.5. The under cashed in the 45-34 win over Oklahoma.
In its last three games, Alabama is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Over its last three matches, Clemson is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Clemson’s previous game was 58. The under cashed in the team’s 30-3 win over Notre Dame.
Clemson has averaged 6.8 yards per rush attempt across its past three games and 7.1 over its last two.
Alabama has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.0 over its past two.
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