It is a national title betting game rematch on Monday, January 9th as the top-ranked and unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide take on the second-ranked Clemson Tigers on ESPN. It was Alabama winning a shootout last year by a score of 45-40 to take the national title. This time around the game should be lower scoring as both teams have defenses capable of dominating. Let’s look at the best sportsbooks contest and college football picks.
The Crimson Tide play the Tigers on Monday, January 9th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida with a start time of 8 pm Eastern on ESPN.
Championship Game Odds at Best Betting Websites
College Football Championship Odds
Alabama -6.5, total 51
Alabama vs. Clemson
The Crimson Tide are looking to win their fourth national title under head coach Nick Saban. Alabama’s offense is led by freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts who could become the first true freshman quarterback to lead his team to a title since Jamelle Holloway did it for Oklahoma in 1985. Hurts will not have his normal offensive coordinator for this contest as Lane Kiffin was booted out and told to get started with his new job at FAU and basically stay away from the team. Steve Sarkisian will be calling the plays for Alabama on Monday.
Alabama averaged about 39 points per game this sportsbook season while allowing just over 11 points per contest.
The Tigers have a potent offense led by quarterback DeShaun Watson who had nearly 500 yards of total offense last year against Alabama. The Tigers also have a stud receiver in Mike Williams who is expected to be a first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He has 90 catches for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Clemson averages almost 40 points per game.
Clemson has a much better defense than they did a year ago. The Tigers are giving up just 17 points per game which is 7th best in the country and they are coming off a shutout against Ohio State in the semifinal.
Game Trends
The Crimson Tide are 10-4 ATS at sports gambling sites while the Tigers are 7-7 ATS. The Tigers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games. The Tigers are 2-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Crimson Tide are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. the ACC. The Crimson Tide are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The Under is 4-1 in the Tigers last 5 non-conference games. The Under is 10-4 in the Tigers last 14 bowl games. The Over is 19-6-1 at the best betting websites in the Crimson Tide’s last 26 neutral site games. The Over is 9-3 in the Crimson Tide’s last 12 bowl games.
College Football Championship Picks
The Tigers have been waiting for this game for a year and they definitely appear ready. We’ll take the Tigers plus the points at US betting sites like MyBookie Sportsbook and also look for a much lower scoring game than a year ago that goes under the total.
