Everyone has an opinion on the College Football Playoff National Championship. It's the most wagered-upon college football game of the entire season and, this year, top-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Clemson will meet for the fourth straight season. Alabama won last season's Sugar Bowl against Clemson, 24-6, and leads the overall series 14-4. The last three meetings have been decided by a total of 32 points. This time around, the Tide are favored by 5.5 in the latest Clemson vs. Alabama odds after the line opened at 6.5. The Over-Under, or total number of points oddsmakers believe will be scored, is 56.5, down over a field goal after opening at 60.5. Both teams are 13-0 straight-up, 8-5 against the spread, and have nearly identical point differentials north of 30, so before you make any Clemson vs. Alabama picks and National Championship predictions, check out what SportsLine's advanced computer model just locked in.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times, and those who have followed it have seen massive returns. Over the past three years, this proprietary computer model has generated a jaw-dropping $4,210 profit for $100 bettors on its top-rated point-spread picks.
The model has made some huge calls during bowl season, including Auburn (-3.5) annihilating Purdue (final score: 63-14) and Appalachian State (-6.5) destroying Middle Tennessee (final: 45-13). And when it comes to all top-rated picks, the model is red-hot, entering the national championship game on a blistering 49-27 run. Anybody who has been following it is way, way up.
Now the model has dialed in on Alabama vs.Clemson 10,000 times. We can tell you it's leaning under, but it has also generated a spread pick that cashes nearly 60 percent of the time. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
The model knows that Alabama's wide variety of offensive weapons make the Tide next to impossible to plan for. Three running backs -- Damien Harris, Najee Harris and Josh Jacobs -- all carried the ball at least 90 times this season. But it was Jacobs, who had the fewest carries of that trio during the regular season, who was the star of the semifinal win over Oklahoma, as he piled up 158 yards of total offense and a touchdown.
Five players also recorded at least 30 receptions this season, including receivers Jerry Jeudy (59), Henry Ruggs III (42), Jaylen Waddle (41) and DeVonta Smith (30), as well as tight end Irv Smith. Jr. (38). With Tagovailoa putting together perhaps the most impressive season ever by an Alabama quarterback, and former Heisman candidate Jalen Hurts available as a weapon at virtually any skill position on offense, even Clemson's loaded defense might have too much to account for in the 2019 National Title game.
But just because the Crimson Tide have been unstoppable doesn't mean they'll cover the Alabama vs. Clemson spread.
The model also knows Clemson will need to ride its ground game if the Tigers want to stay within the spread. Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence has played well since taking over the starting quarterback position in the middle of the season, throwing 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. However, this will easily be the best defense he's faced thus far.
The Tigers will try to make life easier for Lawrence by relying on running back Travis Etienne and their strong offensive line. Etienne has been productive all season long, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. The sophomore running back has embarrassed defenses week after week, rushing for over 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns. He topped 100 yards rushing seven times, including a 27-carry, 203-yard gem against Syracuse in which he had three touchdowns.
Who wins Alabama vs. Clemson? And which side covers nearly 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to be all over in the 2019 National Championship game, all from the incredible computer model that has returned over $4,200 to $100 bettors.
