It's now 2017 and anything can happen, even a rematch of the 2016 College Football National Championship. Once again the Crimson Tide is thrown into the pit to face off with the Clemson Tigers, and there can only be one victor. The question is who come out victorious? Will it once again be Alabama to win their 17th National title, or will Clemson dominate the field and take control like they did against Ohio State? These questions will be answered today starting at 8 p.m., where both teams face off in Tampa, Florida at Raymond James Stadium.
Alabama has been an unstoppable force in the past seven years, with four national title wins, but came close to losing last year against Deshaun Watson and the Tigers. The game ended 45-40, a high-scoring, close game. It was everything a championship game should be and this year is not going to be any different. The score is going to be close and it's going to be nail biter so get ready for potentially one of the best back-to-back rematches in college football history.
What Clemson has to do to win: It is widely known that Alabama has an iron-clad defense, and the only way to cripple that defense would be to throw long passes. I'm talking 15 yards or more and that's a skill Deshaun Watson succeeds at. He leads the power 5 with a whopping 63 completions of 15 or more air yards. He also has a couple years of experience over rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts. Watson does not crack under pressure easily and Alabama's defense is skilled at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Watson is the best quarterback in college football and is the one who is going to ruffle Alabama defense's feathers.
An advantage that provides Clemson with an edge is their thirst for revenge. It's not often that the two best teams in college football match up back-to-back for the chance at a championship game. Seeing as the Tigers lost to the Tide last year, they are thirsty for this win. Losing to Alabama last year will hopefully fuel the Tigers and Watson to a win to serve right back to Nick Saban.
A disadvantage that could also pose a threat to Alabama would be the recent loss of their offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin, who parted ways with Saban and the team after their win over Washington at the Chick-fil-a Bowl Game. The team is now working with Steve Sarkisian, who has never been in the midst of a game with Alabama. He does not know how the team functions during game time. While he has been in multiple practices with the team, practice and game time are completely different atmospheres. Saban commented that the transition is going smoothly with Sarkisian, but we will know just how well the team is functioning today when it comes down to the wire.
This game by no means is going to be a blowout on either end. If this game is anything like last year, the fans can expect a stellar performance from each team, with the score only differing by single digits. In the end, it's all going to come down if the best defense in the country can once again stop Deshaun Watson or if Watson will shut down the Tide with the help of Clemson offense.
