College Football Championship 2016: Predictions for Stars in Alabama vs. Clemson
The College Football Playoff system worked well this year. The best two teams are going to play for the national championship Monday night, 8:30 p.m. at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and there's not one team that didn't qualify for the CFP that can make a legitimate claim it was better than the Clemson Tigers or the Alabama Crimson Tide.
According to Odds Shark, Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite. The two biggest reasons Alabama is favored to win are its powerful running game and stout defense.
After establishing itself as the top run defense in the nation and one of the stingiest defenses in regard to points allowed, the unit proved its mettle by shutting out the Michigan State Spartans in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Regarding Henry
Alabama quarterback Jake Coker had a surprisingly strong game against the Spartans, but the threat of the running game set up much of his success. Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry will be back as the primary weapon in the championship game.
After running the ball 90 times combined in the Iron Bowl and SEC championship, Henry only had 20 carries against the Spartans. With the decreased workload and the big gap in time between the national semifinal and the national championship, Henry should be fresh.
In what will likely be his last college game, Henry will punctuate a great career at Alabama with a big performance. Clemson has the 18th-ranked run defense, but it has been victimized on a number of occasions this year.
Appalachian State (202) and Syracuse (242) have both eclipsed 200 yards on the ground against Clemson. The Florida State Seminoles ran for 197 yards against the Tigers. With those totals, it's easy to see Alabama having success on the ground.
That should equate to a big day from Henry.
Watson, This Won't Be Elementary
Per Bryan Beasley of ESPN.com, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has been excellent against the blitz this season:
"Watson has been blitzed on 27 percent of his dropbacks during his career, slightly more than the Power 5 average. Watson has had success on such plays, throwing 22 touchdowns and three interceptions while ranking third in both QBR (92) and yards per attempt (10.2) among Power 5 players.
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All of that information is impressive, but the truth is Alabama doesn't need to blitz to get pressure. Its primary rushers in A'Shawn Robinson, Tim Williams and others are so nasty that there's no need to bring extra pressure.
Simply rushing four will allow Alabama to drop up to seven in pass protection on most downs or six and one to spy Watson.
Alabama's speed and versatility will make it tough for the Heisman finalist to do damage. He'll make a decent account of himself, but this won't be the QB's best performance.
Reggie, Reggie, Reggie
This year's crop of inside linebackers looks to be especially strong. After the national championship game, Alabama's Reggie Ragland will be seen as one of the top two prospects at the position.
Collectively, Alabama's defense is the best in the nation, but Ragland is the proven leader. Athletically, he's capable of making plays against the run and the pass, but what stands out with Ragland is his leadership skills.
In an interview with Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News, Ragland spoke about the difference between this year's team and the one that fell short in 2014:
"Everybody on the team knew that leadership wasn't the right way (last year). But some guys can't say nothing about it. But now I can say something because I'm a leader. And I feel like, if I don't like something, I'm going to say it. The guys on the team know we got to do this the right way, because the right way gets it done. The wrong way doesn't. Guys are very focused in coming in on the plane and all. So I can tell my guys are ready already.
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Expect him to fly around the field and make plays and adjustments at the line of scrimmage while leading 'Bama to a victory.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
