With the start of the 2019 national championship less than a week away, college football bettors everywhere need to know why the second-ranked Clemson Tigers could potentially dethrone the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide when the two perennial rivals meet in the 2019 national championship on Monday, January 7. Thankfully, that’s where I come in with some expert analysis and legitimate reasons why Clemson could win it all this year.
Why Bet on Clemson Tigers to Win the 2019 National Championship?
- When: Monday, January 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
- 2019 National Championship Odds: Alabama -6 / Total: 59.5
The Offense
One of the best reasons to back Clemson Tigers in the national championship is because they have a powerful offense that ranked third in total offense (531.3 ypg) and fourth in the nation in scoring (44.3 ppg). The Tigers have a gifted quarterback in true freshman Trevor Lawrence that completed 65.3 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,933 yards with 27 TD passes and just four interceptions. Clemson also has a fantastic running back in sophomore Travis Etienne that rushed for 1,573 yards and 22 touchdowns while averaging a mind-boggling 8.3 yards per carry.
The Defense
Another great reason to back the Tigers to get the upset is because they have an elite defense that ranked fifth in total defense (280.7 ypg), fourth against the run (98.6 ypg) and a stellar first in points allowed 912.9 ppg). Clemson held four of their last five opponents to 10 points or less while accomplishing the feat nine times on the season overall.
More importantly, Clemson has a defensive line that features four likely first round NFL draft picks in defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant and defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins. While Lawrence won’t play in the national championship because of a suspension, Clemson didn’t miss the interior defensive lineman last weekend in their dominating 30-3 semifinal win over Notre Dame.
Dabo Swinney
Another great reason to back the Tigers is the fact that they have arguably the best head coach in all of football – not named Nick Saban. Swinney has gone 115-30 at Clemson since taking over as the head coach in 2009. The Tigers have reached the double-digit win mark in eight straight seasons while winning 14 games in three of the last four seasons. Not only that, but Swinney is so beloved by his players that I believe he is the greatest motivator in all of college football.
The Points, History and Trends
Last but certainly not least, the Tigers are getting almost a touchdown as underdogs against the Crimson Tide. They’ve gone 1-2 against Alabama in the last three years, but they managed to win it all the last time they had an elite quarterback in former star Deshaun Watson two years ago. In addition to that, the Tigers are a near-perfect 8-1 ATS in their last 9 bowl games, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points and13-3 ATS in their last 16 neutral site games. Here is a look at Clemson’s other key trends heading into the 2019 national championship.
- Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
- Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday games.
- Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
- Tigers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up win.
- Tigers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
- Tigers are 6-2 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
- Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
- Tigers are 35-17 ATS in their last 52 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Tigers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
- Tigers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games.
