3 Reasons to Bet Against Alabama to Win College Football Playoff
Alabama to meet Clemson in CFP Semfinal at @SugarBowlNola ‼️ 🔗 Story: https://t.co/qLTHQnNsEr#RollTide #OutworkYesterday
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 3, 2017
Will Tide Miss Hootie?
There is good injury news for Alabama. Linebackers Mack Wilson, Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis have been banged up. They all played in the Iron Bowl, but they weren’t 100 percent. They should be or really close to it by Jan. 1. In addition, star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) and left guard Ross Pierschbacher (ankle) should also have time to heal, as well as any other players who were dealing with nagging injuries. The bad news is that Alabama will be without starting safety Hootie Jones, who injured his knee against Auburn. Jones was a staple at one of the safety spots in Alabama’s nickel and dime packages. Jones is fourth on the team with 53 tackles and has two interceptions. Redshirt sophomore Deionte Thompson stepped in at safety after Jones got hurt against Auburn and is probably the most likely to start in Jones’ place against Clemson. Thompson has 18 tackles and an interception this season. With Jones out, Clemson will look to attack Alabama’s secondary with a passing offense that ranks No. 52 in the nation, averaging 244.1 yards per game through the air. The Tigers are led by junior quarterback Kelly Bryant, who has 2,678 passing yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions to go with 646 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Alabama has struggled recently against mobile quarterbacks, allowing Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham to rush for 51 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald to rush for 66 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Bryant is a better rusher than both those quarterbacks.Alabama Passing Game, Third Downs Questionable
While Tide QB Jalen Hurts is a dual-threat, he’s not an accurate passer. Bama ranked No. 9 in the SEC and No. 86 in the nation in passing offense despite a superstar receiver in Calvin Ridley, who did little against Auburn. Some blame Hurts, other on poor pass protection. Clemson ranks No. 1 in the nation with 44 sacks and features two of college football’s top pass rushers in Clelin Ferrell (8.5 sacks) and Austin Bryant (7.5 sacks). If the Tide aren’t in third-and-short, they are in trouble. Alabama’s biggest weakness this season comes on third down, where the Crimson Tide ranks last among playoff teams with a 41.5 percent conversion rate. Alabama’s a little bit better at stopping third downs, ranking No. 21 in the nation allowing opponents to convert on 32.95 percent of their attempts.