Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinal games weren’t very competitive. The No. 2 Clemson Tigers walloped the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl. And in the nightcap, the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide beat the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 45-34. The score makes the game appear closer than it was; Alabama had a 28-0 lead with 11:48 left in the second quarter and led by double-digits the rest of the way.
So, here we are: Alabama vs Clemson in the CFP National Championship game, again. It’s the fourth straight year the teams will meet in the College Football Playoff, and it’s the third time they’ll be meeting for the national title game.
Do the oddsmakers think this game will be more competitive than the rather boring semifinal games? Yes, but Nick Saban’s Alabama squad is still a touchdown favorite.
The Westgate Superbook and Bovada have Alabama opening as 6.5-point favorites. Westgate has the over/under at 59.5 points, while Bovada has it at 61.
College Football
National Championship Game
at Santa Clara, CaliforniaMonday, January 7, 2019
5:00 pm pacificClemson 59.5
Alabama -6.5— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) December 30, 2018
Opening odds for the @CFBPlayoff National Championship (@BovadaOfficial):
Alabama -6.5
Clemson +195
O/U 61— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) December 30, 2018
Both teams enter the game with 14-0 records. Alabama won last year’s matchup 24-6 in the CFP semifinal 24-6, while Clemson beat them 35-31 in the national title game the year before.
The Alabama-Clemson CFP National Championship game kicks off Monday, Jan. 7 at Levi’s Stadium
in Santa Clara, CA, and will be shown on ESPN.
