Tigers Survive Scare from UNC; Who’s the Better National Title Bet: Clemson or Alabama?
- The Clemson Tigers barely held on for a 21-20 win over unranked North Carolina
- The Alabama Crimson Tide, 59-31 winners over Ole Miss, supplanted Clemson as #1 in the rankings
- Books now list Alabama as the +225 chalk to win the CFP national title
The Clemson Tigers survived the North Carolina Tar Heels but they were still tarnished by the experience.
Clemson barely squeaked out a 21-20 verdict over North Carolina on Saturday; but by Sunday, the Alabama Crimson Tide had supplanted the defending champion Tigers as the #1 team in the CFP national rankings.
Alabama beat Ole Miss 59-31 on Saturday.
In the last update to our National Championship odds tracker, Clemson held top spot at +175. Alabama was second overall, with average odds of +255. But look for that to change early next week, as Alabama has already moved into top spot in some places.
2019 CFP National Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alabama | +225 |
| Clemson | +250 |
| Georgia | +700 |
| Ohio State | +700 |
| LSU | +800 |
| Oklahoma | +1000 |
| Auburn | +2500 |
| Wisconsin | +2500 |
| Utah State | +2800 |
| Penn State | +3300 |
*Odds taken on 09/29/19.
Clemson and Alabama have each won two of the past four national titles.
(Almost) Holding Those Tigers
It’s been 89 games since an unranked team knocked off #1 – Oregon State over USC in Week 3 of the 2008 NCAA season – but that streak was ever so close to ending on Saturday.
Clemson was required to stop a two-point conversion attempt by the Tar Heels with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter to escape with their 21-20 victory.
Improving to 5-0 and winning their 20th straight game, the Tigers didn’t gain the lead for good until there was 9:54 left in the fourth quarter. Trevor Lawrence connected with Tee Higgins for a 38-yard touchdown pass.
Something is different about Trevor Lawrence this year. He's regressed in some of the traits that made him an unbelievable player as a freshman.
He's locking onto receivers. He's not getting his feet set. He's hesitating.
— Jason Clary (@IamJClary) September 28, 2019
Touted as a preseason Heisman Trophy contender, sophomore Lawrence has struggled this season. He’s 34th in the nation in passing yardage (1131) and shows eight TD passes against five interceptions.
En route to last season’s 15-0 season and 44-16 drubbing of Alabama in the CFP national title game, Clemson also survived a Week 5 scare against Syracuse. It was Lawrence’s first game as starting QB, and they trailed 16-6 at halftime,
The Tigers rallied with two fourth-quarter TDs for a 27-23 victory.
Alabama Turns The Tide
The Crimson Tide also survived a brief scare on Saturday. Ole Miss owned a 10-7 first-quarter advantage.
Then Alabama scored 31 second-quarter points. QB Tua Tagovailoa passed for a school-record six TDs. Receiver DeVonta Smith established Alabama single-game marks for receiving yards (274) and TDs (five).
Looking every bit the real deal, Heisman Trophy favorite Tagovailoa is second in the nation in passing yardage (1718) and first in TD passes (23).
Hey Bulldogs
Lurking quietly at 4-0 and odds of +700, the Georgia Bulldogs are the only team other than Clemson or Alabama to appear in the CFP national title game over the past four years.
They’ve already passed their first real test of the season, dropping #7 Notre Dame, 23-17, in Week 4.
It could very well be Georgia-Alabama in the SEC championship game for the second year in a row. Those two schools have won the past five SEC titles.
Buckeyes Busting Out
The last school not named Alabama or Clemson to be called national champs was Ohio State in 2014.
The Buckeyes are 5-0. Ohio State crushed Nebraska 48-7 on Saturday. It was 31-0 Buckeyes after the first quarter.
It’s Crimson All Over
After a bye week, Alabama gets its first true challenge of the season on October 12th against #12 Texas A&M.
Alabama jumps Clemson in the AP Poll and is now the #1 ranked team in the nation.
That means Nick Saban has now led the Crimson Tide to the #1 spot in the AP Poll at least once for 12 consecutive seasons.
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) September 29, 2019
Until proven otherwise, the Crimson Tide have clearly established their credentials as the team to beat for the national title. They’ve scored at least 42 points in all five games and allowed 10 points or fewer in three of five games.
Pick: Alabama (+225)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
