The top-ranked Clemson Tigers will be looking to complete a perfect 15-0 season and claim their first national title since 1981 when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in Monday’s College Football Championship Game as 7-point betting underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Clemson hits the gridiron in Monday night’s Crimson Tide vs. Tigers betting matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium riding a 17-game straight-up winning streak, including a 37-17 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl as a 3.5-point underdog.
The Tigers have posted against-the-spread victories in their past two outings, but have been a shaky bet at the sportsbooks throughout the season, ending their regular season schedule with four straight ATS losses en route to a middling 7-7 ATS record.
Clemson has enjoyed success in recent clashes with SEC opponents, however, posting SU wins in their last two and four of their past six, including a slim 37-32 victory over South Carolina in their annual Palmetto Bowl matchup.
Alabama, the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff rankings, earned a berth in this year’s national championship with a 38-0 blowout win over the Michigan State Spartans in the Cotton Bowl, easily covering as 10.5-point chalk.
That victory improved the Crimson Tide’s current SU win streak to 11 games, with their defense allowing more than 16 points on just one occasion.
Indeed, the Tigers will face a real challenge to produce points against Alabama, which has surrendered just eight points per game over their past five games, and just four total touchdowns during that stretch.
The Tide also claim the nation’s top-ranked rush defense, which has allowed just 74 yards per game and six total touchdowns this season
However, the Alabama defense must contend with a Clemson ground game that has averaged over 305 yards per game in their last five and produced three majors in their win over Oklahoma, including a five-yard touchdown run by pivot Deshaun Watson who has rushed for 1,032 yards and 12 scores this season.
The point total for Monday’s matchup has steadily fallen since opening at 53.5, currently sitting at 50.5. Neither Clemson nor Alabama have seen the OVER pay off consistently this season, with the UNDER prevailing in just two of each team’s last four games according to the OddsShark College Football Database.