College Football Playoffs 2016: Championship Game Info for Alabama vs. Clemson
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers were the two best teams during the college football regular season, so it's fitting those two will meet on Jan. 11 to determine a national champion.
Any doubts about the Crimson Tide's talent after going through a weaker-than-normal SEC slate were squashed in spectacular fashion. They embarrassed Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl, outgaining the Spartans 440-239 as quarterback Jake Coker rose from the shadows to throw for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers shook off a slow start, which included losing star defensive end Shaq Lawson to a knee injury in the first quarter, per ESPN.com's Joe Schad, and outscored Oklahoma 21-0 in the second half of the Orange Bowl to keep their perfect season intact.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Monday, Jan. 11 | University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama (+7) | 53 |
What to Watch For
Coker's performance in the Cotton Bowl can't be understated because no one saw it coming. He completed 25 passes against Michigan State after not attempting more than 27 passes in Alabama's previous seven games.
Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry was largely held in check by the Spartans, running for 75 yards on 20 carries, so opening up the passing game at least gives Clemson something to think about.
Dan Wolken of USA Today has seen vast improvement in Coker from two years ago when he was still at Florida State, and even two months ago:
In many ways, Coker is like AJ McCarron when he was leading Alabama's offense to consecutive national titles in 2011-12. Coker isn't a flashy player who will put up video game numbers, but he's going to protect the ball and can now be counted on to make big plays when asked.
It will be essential for Alabama to establish the passing game early against Clemson because the Tigers were all over Oklahoma's electric rushing attack in the Orange Bowl. The Sooners came into the game averaging 235 rushing yards, but were held to 67 on 33 carries without Lawson on the field most of the day.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield did break the 300-yard passing mark versus Clemson's secondary, but he had two interceptions during the second-half meltdown to end any hopes for a comeback.
Lawson has already said he will be back for the title game, per Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald. Even without Lawson, Clemson was still able to pressure Mayfield all game on blitz packages with safety Jayron Kearse and the entire defensive line led by Kevin Dodd.
Offensively, Clemson did show some cracks in the passing game, but was unstoppable running the ball against a strong Oklahoma front, as Jon Solomon of CBS Sports noted:
Quarterback Deshaun Watson will have to improve on his 16-of-31 passing performance, as Alabama's defense is not going to leave the same running windows open that Oklahoma did.
According to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports, no team has been better this season at keeping an opponent's running game in check than the Crimson Tide:
The only time Alabama's defense has looked vulnerable this year, during the team's 43-37 loss against Mississippi in September, it was beaten by big plays. Ole Miss scored three touchdowns on plays that went at least 24 yards.
Clemson is an offense capable of making big plays, whether it is through the air or on the ground, so expect Swinney to focus on Alabama's game tape from the Mississippi game.
Prediction
Unlike the two semifinal games, where it was easy to spot significant differences between the teams, Clemson and Alabama are evenly matched.
Both teams have dynamic playmakers in the backfield with Watson and Henry, boast stellar defenses, particularly up front, and are coached so well that every player knows exactly where to be to make a play.
Alabama is going to be the consensus pick to win the national title because of its dominant win in the Cotton Bowl and historical bias.
Clemson's win over Oklahoma may have been more impressive than Alabama's victory over Michigan State because it didn't play a perfect game, had to make adjustments for injuries and sloppy play early to still win by 20 points.
The Tigers have been building toward this moment in the spotlight for years, winning at least 10 games the previous four years before everything fell into place in 2015.
It's going to be an intense, physical battle between two elite programs with Clemson capping off a perfect season with a championship.
Clemson 20, Alabama 17
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
