Clemson vs. Alabama: Latest Predictions Ahead of National Title Game

The undefeated Clemson Tigers are the next team in line to enter the lion's den against the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night in the 2016 College Football Playoff title game.

The Tigers—like their head coach, Dabo Swinney—fear nothing.

They've ran the gauntlet all season long in the ACC against teams such as the Florida State Seminoles, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and a North Carolina Tar Heels team that had won 11 straight games prior to its meeting with the Tigers.

They held the hottest team in the country at the time—the Oklahoma Sooners—scoreless in the second half of the Orange Bowl on New Year's Eve without All-American defensive end Shaq Lawson.

Despite the knee sprain in the first quarter of the Orange Bowl, Lawson is expected to play on Monday night, per the Associated Press (via USA Today).

College football's top-ranked team has "brought [its] own guts" all season, and it's ready for the challenge of facing the sport's gold standard and its architect.

“If you guys remembered, on signing day, I said we're going to win a national championship,” Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander said, per Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com. “I really believed it. ... I said we would be here and we would win it all. We're here and it's time to win it all.”

Alexander was one of the stern voices during media day in Glendale, Arizona, and he took on Swinney's confident and energetic personality when the media asked about Alabama being the favorite in Monday's game.

“You guys really don't believe that,” Alexander said. “You guys are looking at the brand and the big A and what they've done in the past. It's not about that. It's about right now. You guys are looking at the brand too much. That's all. You guys know we've got a better team.”

To a degree, Alexander has a point and a legitimate one at that.

There's an issue, though.

Alexander could be in a limited role at best on Monday night, per CollegeFootball 24/7.

There's also another issue for the Tigers. 

They're playing college football's version of the Roman Empire.

For the fourth time in the last seven seasons, Alabama is playing for a national championship. The previous three trips to the title game were all convincing victories.

It's the same story in a different year for the Crimson Tide.

The more the contenders change, the more dominant Alabama has become.

Under head coach Nick Saban, Alabama has lost just 18 games since 2007.

In the three previous title games that Alabama has played in under Saban, the Crimson Tide defense has only given up 35 total points, including in a shutout in the 2012 title game against LSU.

Yeah, that's the game in which LSU's offense didn't cross midfield until there were eight minutes left in the contest.

However, to Alexander's credit (and confidence), his point has some validity. Plus, have the Tide played a team as talented as this year's Clemson bunch? Outside of Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl last season, not many (if any) can match Clemson's speed and overall talent.

Of course, we've asked this question many times before, and it usually ends with a Saban defense leaving the opponent's offense looking like the fallen in the movie 300.

Alabama gave up 258 yards per game this season, the second-best average in the country.

Clemson gave up 296 yards this season, the seventh-least amount.

Only 16 teams gave up fewer than Alabama's 184.2 passing yards per game this season.

Just four teams gave up fewer passing yards per contest than Clemson's 166.9 passing yards this season.

In Matt Miller's current Top 300 NFL draft board on Bleacher Report, Alabama has four prospects inside his top 50 players, while Clemson has three.

Breakdown

When Clemson has the ball

If Clemson is going to keep the Tide from their fourth title in the last seven years, it has to be able to crack the code of the Alabama run defense.

Alabama gave up 962 total rushing yards this season. That's 74 rushing yards allowed a game.

Also, this is the same defense that held LSU running back Leonard Fournette to 31 yards on 19 carries.

It's quite good.

Here's what LSU didn't have: Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson.

Watson will be the best quarterback the Tide have faced all season long, and with his dual-threat playmaking ability in and out of the pocket, the Tigers can make life much harder for the Tide defense than some teams have.

On top of Watson's dynamic play under center, Wayne Gallman was the most underrated running back in the entire country this season with 1,482 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Throughout the Tigers' undefeated run to Glendale, Watson has been the coolest head in the stadium. For Clemson to have a chance, Watson has to keep that cool demeanor on the biggest stage of the season.

The one thing that's been able to crack Alabama's armor in recent years is a quarterback who can move the sticks and light up the scoreboard with his arm and his legs.

Film study with Saban probably wasn't fun after Alabama's meetings with Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel and Trevor Knight in the last few years.

Watson might be the best of the bunch, and he'll have to be for the Tigers.

When Alabama has the ball

Clemson's defense—led by Alexander and Lawson—is one of the best units in the country.

Deshaun Watson was outstanding all season long, but the Tigers wouldn't be in this position without their defense. (Watch the very end of the Notre Dame game once more.)

But, the Clemson defense has yet to face a weapon like Alabama possesses.

Running back Derrick Henry is college football's version of the Blue Marvel.

Henry was this year's Heisman Trophy winner and became the only player in SEC history to rush for 2,000-plus yards in a season.

He's a tank in terms of his workload and his pure power and strength at 6'3" and 242 pounds.

Clemson ranks inside the top 25 teams in terms of rushing defense, but it's yet to face a bruiser and a force like Henry.

If Lawson and the talented front of Clemson can't get off the line of scrimmage on Monday, Henry might cap off the best season in SEC history for a running back with one more dominant performance.

Prediction

Clemson is one of the few teams in the country that can keep up with Alabama's talent and overall excellence.

It's an exclusive list, but the Tigers can beat the Tide.

Will they?

According to the 11 college football experts at Sports Illustrated, 10 of them don't think the Tigers can get the job done:

In the quintet of NFL.com experts who picked the outcome of Monday's title game, all five had Alabama coming out on top:

There's a slim chance Clemson can beat Alabama, and most predictions have the Tide rolling through the Tigers.

But embracing the underdog role has been something Clemson has done all season long.

The Tigers will upset the Tide in a thriller, and it will be thanks to the play of Deshaun Watson.

If Watson plays like the 2010 version of Cam Newton, the Tigers won't have a Heisman Trophy, but they'll have a national championship trophy on their flight back home to South Carolina.

Clemson upsets Alabama, 30-27

Michael Whitlow is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can read the rest of Michael's work here or you can follow him on Twitter: @MAWhitlow.