College Football Championship 2016: Twitter Hype, Pick for Clemson vs. Alabama

Good luck avoiding the hype for the 2016 College Football National Championship.

Akin to a train steamrolling down the tracks, the impending Monday showdown between the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide drowns out everything else, even including NFL playoffs understandably highlighted by products of the programs such as AJ McCarron (Alabama) and Martavis Bryant (Clemson).

The current crop of talent from the powerhouses makes for one intriguing matchup, with the higher-seeded Tigers functioning as the willing underdog against head coach Nick Saban's monstrosity of NFL-ready talent.

As Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde illustrated, the tape paints quite the even picture:

How could it not look even? Clemson rolled through the schedule to an undefeated season and has a shot at making history by hitting 15-0. The run included wins against three top-10 teams, including a laugher against then-No. 4 Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

The Tigers are led by Deshaun Watson, a dual-threat quarterback who completed 68.2 percent of his passes with 31 touchdowns while adding another 12 scores on the ground, tied for team high with lead back Wayne Gallman.

Watson's one of the few players who can force the Crimson Tide out of their comfort zone defensively. Saban seemed to respect this wrinkle of the title game, according to Dan Hope of OrangeandWhite.com:

Saban also happened to have a Heisman Trophy contender on his roster, though, and running back Derrick Henry wound up winning the award.

Henry posted 2,061 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on a 5.7 per-carry average and helped the Crimson Tide best four top-10 teams this year, not to mention simply surviving the SEC. The semifinal? A 38-0 swatting of then-No. 3 Michigan State, otherwise a gnat on Alabama's radar while Henry ran for 75 yards and a pair of scores.

It only makes sense that Henry's the hottest interview around, as CFBPlayoff captured:

Speaking of interviews, though, Clemson has made it quite clear in the week leading up to the game it embraces the underdog role.

Surefire NFL prospect Shaq Lawson was one of a few players to speak up on the position the team finds itself in, according to Sporting News:

Clemson's undefeated with the most potent offense around, so it's not hard to see why the Tigers would have confidence going into the matchup.

In past years, Alabama has struggled with dual-threat quarterbacks, too. Even this year Saban's defense faltered once to such a quarterback, losing 43-37 to then-No. 15 Ole Miss while Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly tossed three scores and ran for another.

For someone such as elite Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander, there's one major reason for his team being the underdog, according to Sporting News:

Though a tad biased, SEC Network offered an interesting counter:

When it comes time to make a prediction, one has to take both history and trends into account.

One is Alabama's defense. The unit's borderline unstoppable. Against Michigan State, the nation's best defensive line held the Spartans to 29 rushing yards—on 26 attempts.

Clemson will look to mix it up by getting Watson moving out of the pocket, but he can only do so much damage if he doesn't see the field consistently. Clemson's defense is another trend to know, as the unit has struggled as of late to shutter opposing rushing attacks—obviously bad news against a running back that just won the Heisman.

So long as Alabama puts its athletic linemen and linebackers to use in containing gaps and rushing Watson, the Crimson Tide should be able to control the pace of the game, letting Henry grind out a win and a bit of redemption for a program that entered last postseason unfocused and eventually got upset.

Saban's team personifies focused this time around. Clemson might want the underdog role, but this time Alabama's going to thrive as the favorite. Look for the Crimson Tide to sit on the lead late and keep the dynasty alive.

Prediction: Alabama 35, Clemson 30 

Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.