2018 College Football National Championship Odds, Picks & Predictions

College Football Championship ATS Picks: Alabama Vs Clemson

Written by on January 4, 2017

There is nothing quite as exciting as having your favorite time in the title game, but there is definitely some consolation for neutral fans who love to wager on the big game. As is the case with every major game, there are all manner of different prop bets flying around, and it can be tough to decide which ones are worthy of your betting dollars. We will leave that decision entirely up to you, as our focus is this piece is the point spread in the upcoming NCAAF National Championship game. Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you probably already know that we have a rematch of last year’s game, with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers once again going head to head. It was Alabama who won last year in a 45-40 thriller, and they will be the favorites again this season, with the bookies installing them as a 6.5-point betting odds favorite. Can they cover, or will Clemson spring the mild upset?

A Closer Look At The College Football Championship ATS Pick: Crimson Tide Vs Tigers

When: Monday, January 9 at 8 PM EST Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa TV: ESPN Radio: Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network Live Stream: Watch ESPN NCAAF Odds: TBA  

Why bet on the Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been a solid bet this season, going 10-4 ATS to this point. They have also excelled when playing at a neutral venue, as they are a perfect 3-0 in those situations. I am about to continue rattling off some ATS stats for Alabama here, but I can probably make this a little easier for you guys by telling you now that they are all very impressive. The one that really jumps off the page heading into this game is how well this team has performed versus teams with a winning record this season. They have played 7 teams this year who hold that distinction, and have gone 6-1 ATS in those games. Where things may not be so good is in bowl games over the last 3 seasons, including this one, where the Tide are 2-2 ATS.

Why bet on the Clemson Tigers

There were a lot of games this season where Clemson had to fight and claw their way to games that they were expected to win comfortably, which explains why they are just 7-7 ATS. That same trend applied in games against SEC opponents, where the Tigers ended up with a 1-1 ATS record. If you are looking for an impressive stat for this team, then you need to look at their record in bowl games over the past 3 seasons, including this one, where they are a perfect 4-0 ATS. That would of course include their meeting with Alabama last year, where they lost SU, but found a way to cover the spread.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

As mentioned earlier, it was Alabama who won this meeting last season, winning by 5-points when they were, like this year, a 6.5-point favorite. I think we get the same result this time around, with Alabama winning and Clemson covering.

Alabama Crimson Tide 30 Clemson Tigers 24