Last year the Clemson Tigers went into the national championship game undefeated and lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide in what was a genuine thriller. This year the roles are reversed, as Alabama is the unbeaten team and Clemson the squad with just one loss. Some of the other elements are very similar, as they kick it off at 8 PM ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. BetAnySports customers can get reduced juice on this game, affording them better odds, and then after the opening kickoff they can partake in real-time wagering through the phenomenon known as Live Betting Ultra.

Alabama will be seeking its fifth national title under head coach Nick Saban, who also one a national crown while at LSU. And if they emerge victorious, it will be the fourth time they've done it with a first-year starter at quarterback. In last year's game, Jake Coker led the way, but this season it's a different quarterback and a different style. Freshman Jalen Hurts has taken the ball and run with it, and he is a little bit of a change of pace for Saban's teams at Alabama, since he is not a classic dropback quarterback. Instead, he is comfortable in the read-option, carrying the football for almost 900 yards and a dozen touchdowns, in addition to throwing 21 touchdowns through the air. And a lot of credit was given to offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin for shifting things around to accommodate Hurts.

Clemson has a dual threat at quarterback as well. Deshaun Watson has accounted for 46 touchdowns, although admittedly this team got off to a bit of a sluggish start. Still, because Clemson was able to successfully replace seven starters on defense, they were able to get through the rough parts, which included wins by a touchdown or less against Auburn and Troy. Their only loss came at the hands of Pittsburgh, and they gave up more than 400 yards only three times on the season. Last week they had their best effort yet, limiting the Ohio State Buckeyes to just 2145 yards in a 31-0 victory that was shocking to some.

In the college football championship odds posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, Alabama is the favorite:

Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5
Clemson Tigers +6.5

Over 51 points -110
Under 51 points -110

Everybody knows about the talents of Watson, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting this season. And last year he demonstrated that he could move this team against the Alabama defense, as they racked up 550 yards and gave Nick Saban's squad quite a scare before going down to a 45-40 defeat. This year, Clemson is 12th in total offense, seventh in passing offense, and has the advantage of a bevy of effective receivers, including two who were not able to play in the title game last year. Deon Cain, who averaged over 19 yards per reception this season, was suspended for last year's contest, while Mike Williams was hurt. Williams came back and played a full schedule and is ticketed for the first round of the NFL Draft. So as you can imagine, Watson has reason to believe he's got even more weapons. Wayne Gallman, who had over 1500 yards last year, did see his production go down, but that was because he was bothered by injuries. He is healthy now. The only thing Watson really has to worry about is mistakes; he threw 17 interceptions, and as BetAnySports patrons might know, Alabama has scored no less than 11 touchdowns on defense.

The Crimson Tide always has a capable stop unit, but this year has been better than most. They rank #1 in the country in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense. They have also held their opponents to less than 30% on third down conversions. Last week, in the process of allowing only seven points to a Washington team that averaged 44.5 per game on the season, they were able to rattle Jake Browning with five sacks, bringing their total up to 50. Can they do the same to Watson? After all, Clemson gave up only 16 quarterback sacks. That will be an interesting thing to watch out for – both of these teams are in the top five nationally in rushing the passer, and both of them have quarterbacks who are very elusive in evading the rush.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is a former Alabama player who has been rumored as someone likely to take over whenever Saban decides to step down. Were not sure that's going to come anytime soon. But he's got a shot to cement his own legacy at Clemson, and such a thing might be very much within his grasp. His team was eighth overall in defense and fourth in passing efficiency defense, so they have the ability to keep Alabama one-dimensional. Can they pull it off?

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