College Football Championship 2017: Predictions for Stars in Clemson vs. Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers are only hours away from facing off for the second year in a row to determine the College Football Playoff national champion.

Plenty of talent will be on display Monday night in Tampa, Florida; Clemson and Alabama will likely see multiple players selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.

The four stars below will be among the most pivotal in the national title game, and how they perform will determine whether Alabama repeats as national champion or Clemson avenges last year's defeat.

Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama

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Clemson did a great job nullifying Ohio State's running game, which averaged a healthy 245.2 yards per game in 2016. The duo of Curtis Samuel and Mike Weber went for 91 yards on 11 combined carries.

The Tigers run defense could be exploited by Alabama, though, should the Crimson Tide decide to put the offense on the back of Bo Scarbrough.

According to Football Outsiders, the Clemson defensive line ranked 12th in adjusted line yards but 32nd in power success rate and 33rd in stuff rate. While their teams came out on the losing end, Florida State running back Dalvin Cook and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for 169 and 162 yards, respectively, against the Tigers.

Scarbrough looked a class above against Washington, running for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. SEC Network shared a replay of his 68-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that sealed the win:

Having replaced Lane Kiffin with Steve Sarkisian as its offensive coordinator, Alabama will almost certainly keep the game plan simple on Monday night. As long as Scarbrough gets enough touches, he should crack the century mark again in the national championship.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson and Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama

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Deshaun Watson and Jonathan Allen are grouped together because the performance of Allen will go some way in determining whether Watson can repeat his big night (30-of-47 for 405 yards, four touchdowns and an interception) against Alabama last year.

Jake Browning threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis on Washington's second drive of the Peach Bowl. It would be the only highlight for the sophomore quarterback, who crumbled under the pressure of the Crimson Tide's pass rush.

Allen was the engine behind that pass rush, and ESPN's Anthony McFarland argued that it further bolstered the idea he should've earned college football's top individual honor:

Watson is more experienced than Browning, so he won't be rattled in the face of constant pressure. The Tigers offensive line was also great in pass protection this season, ranking fourth in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders.

Still, cutting down on Watson's time in the pocket could force him into making mistakes. The Heisman Trophy runner-up threw two interceptions against Ohio State and 17 picks for the season, up slightly from 2015 (13).

Nobody doubts Watson's talent, but the fact that he has averaged over an interception a game is concerning for Clemson. Although Allen and the Alabama defensive line won't enjoy as much success against the Tigers as they did in the Peach Bowl, the unit should harass Watson into a costly misstep.

Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson

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While Watson is the most important player in Clemson's offense, Wayne Gallman's role can't be overlooked. It's not a coincidence that his performance has differed greatly in closer games when compared to the Tigers' blowouts, per ESPN.com:

Split	Carries	Yards	Avg.	TD
Margin Between 0 and 7 Points	112	458	4.1	8
Margin of 15-plus Points	102	629	6.2	8

In three of Clemson's tightest games, the junior running back had his worst performances of the year. He carried the ball 18 times for 36 yards in the loss to Pittsburgh. An injury knocked him out early against North Carolina State—when he had two carries for 14 yards—and the Tigers labored to an overtime win. In the close victory over Troy, Gallman had nine carries for 34 yards.

Establishing the running game will be key for the Tigers if they're going to upset Alabama. Watson alone can't get the job done against a defense as good as the Crimson Tide's.

The bad news for Clemson is that Alabama is allowing the fewest rushing yards per game (63.4), as well as an FBS-low 2.0 yards per carry.

A week after running for 284 yards on 16 carries against Ole Miss, Leonard Fournette gained 35 yards on 17 carries in LSU's 10-0 loss to Alabama. Coming off his 159-yard night in the Pac-12 Championship Game, Washington's Myles Gaskin had 34 yards on 10 carries in the Peach Bowl.

Against the Crimson Tide, Gallman will find yards hard to come by, and that will be a big problem for Clemson.