CFP National Championship 2017: Early Predictions for Clemson vs. Alabama

For the Clemson Tigers, winning the College Football Playoff National Championship isn't just about adding a piece of hardware to the trophy case. This is about revenge.

The No. 2 Tigers are taking on the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in a rematch of last year's title game where the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 45-40. It was a shootout between two teams in the ultimate battle of who wanted to win more. On the day, Alabama outlasted Clemson and sent the Tigers home empty-handed.

But after an impressive 31-0 beatdown of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl Saturday, Clemson seems more prepared than ever to take on the nation's top collegiate team. 

Before we get into any team analysis and predictions, here's all the game information you'll need in preparation for the CFP National Championship Game. 

Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

When: Monday, Jan. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Game Preview

The victory over the Buckeyes was a gigantic step in the right direction for the Tigers. They put the nation on notice on New Year's Eve, becoming the first team to shut out an Urban Meyer-led football team. 

Led by Deshaun Watson's 259 passing yards, 57 rushing yards and three scores (one pass, two rush), Clemson never looked back, as the Tigers controlled the tempo of the game and kept the Buckeyes at bay with big plays and a balanced offense.

Controlling the tempo is crucial in any game, but it's essential against a team like Alabama that has no problem dictating the line of scrimmage and play clock with its brutal run game that drains the opposition's front seven.

The Crimson Tide, whose offense didn't look particularly great against the Washington Huskies Saturday in the Peach Bowl, didn't need to look spectacular to get the 24-7 win. They rammed the football down Washington's throat all game long thanks in part to sophomore running back Bo Scarbrough, who rushed for 180 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns. 

With a 9.5 yards-per-carry average against Washington, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Scarbrough get an increased workload in practice to prepare for the Tigers.

"Bo's been playing pretty well for us the last three or four games," said Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, courtesy of Alex Byington of TimesDaily. "We wanted to play him more. He's hard to tackle. He's big and powerful. He's playing with a lot of confidence and he did a great job for us today." 

Getting the vote of confidence from Saban is no small task, but neither will be facing off against the Tigers defense that silenced the Buckeyes through four quarters.

Predictions

As good as Clemson looked against OSU, it won't be able to replicate the same kind of success that it had against an Alabama team that is the most fundamentally sound football team in America.

Clemson will try to learn its lesson from last year's game and attempt to load up the box against Scarbrough and Alabama's rushing attack, but the Tigers will overlook true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts and his ability to throw the ball downfield and make plays outside of the pocket.

Granted, Hurts doesn't have the same type of playmaking ability as Watson does for Clemson, but he can still create space and time for his receivers to get downfield and get open for a big play. Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will dial up a lot of play-action passes and bootlegs to spread out the Tigers defense.

It's going to be difficult to for the Tide to stop Watson, but if they can hold Clemson's offense to less than 25 points, it's possible Alabama can come away with a comfortable victory. According to OddsShark, the Crimson Tide are opening as seven-point favorites, and as the game approaches, that margin of victory could become even larger.

Prediction: Alabama defeats Clemson 31-20.

Offensive MVP prediction: Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama

Defensive MVP prediction: Reuben Foster, MLB, Alabama 

All stats and game info are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise mentioned.