Though the 4th Alabama Crimson Tide did not play in their conference’s championship game, they snuck into a spot in the playoffs to compete against the 1st ranked Clemson Tigers in the 2017 Sugar Bowl.
Though some, especially of the Buckeyes’ fan base, most people are excited to watch these two rivals compete for the third consecutive year and after two classic national championship games between them.
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2017 Sugar Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide vs Clemson Tigers
When: January 01, 2018, 8:45 PM ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Spread: Clemson -2
Total: 47
Moneyline: Clemson -150 vs Alabama +130
Betting on Alabama Crimson Tide
The Tide didn’t play in the SEC Championship game, but their 12-1 record (with a sole loss to the Auburn Tigers) managed to earn them a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Regardless that they didn’t have the toughest of schedules, they were clearly one of the best teams in the country.
The fact that some people don’t consider that the Tide should be in the Playoff may have Nick Saban pushing his team to go out on the field to silence the naysayers.
Alabama has many of its talent from last year, but there’s no replacement for OJ Howard.
The tight end accounted to 314 yards and 3 touchdowns versus Clemson in Alabama’s last two national championships games against the Tigers.
The only Tide player to catch more than 15 passes this season has been Calvin Ridley and he may not be enough to win this game.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts still deserves some respect as a Heisman Trophy candidate because he’s among the best passers in the nation and one of Bama’s best rushing threats.
Saban has also turned this team into a well-oiled defensive machine and is arguably the best in the country. No team has allowed fewer yards or points this season than Alabama. And, the team has 31 sacks and 20 turnovers to its credit.
However, Clemson will likely attempt to dink and dunk their way down the field so it’s important that Alabama’s linebacker unit be ready to shut things down quickly.
The Crimson Tide had the 9th best rushing attack in the nation this year and will likely focus on running the ball against the Tigers. If they’re able to run the ball effectively, you’ll see plenty of play action passes to keep the Tigers defense guessing.
Betting on Clemson Tigers
After beating Alabama in last year’s national championship game, the Tigers will play in this game with plenty of confidence that they can get the job done.
After losing many of its talent, Deshaun Watson, Wayne Gallman and Mike Williams, to the NFL after last year’s championship game the Tigers don’t have the best offense this time around.
But, junior quarterback Kelly Bryant has filled in admirably despite not being as good a passer as Watson. Also, the running back duo of Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster has combined for 1,403 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns between them.
Even without Watson, this is still a disciplined team that is well coached and can win this game.
Like the Tide, the Tigers will likely focus on the running game which was excellent this season, averaging 204.1 yards per game, which was 32nd in the nation.
If the Tigers can’t get the ground game going, they’ll turn to Bryant’s passing game. Bryant is also very dangerous on his feet and rushed for 646 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Clemson’s defense is still among the best in the country and within the top 10 in yards allowed, passing defense and points allowed.
Clemson has one of the best defensive lines in the country with both Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant – who will likely be first-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, racking up at least 7.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss between the two.
Defensively, the Tigers and Tide were the best two teams in the country in points allowed, so you should expect to see many points in the 2017 Sugar Bowl .
Crimson Tide vs Tigers Betting Trends
- The total has gone OVER in Clemson's last 4 games in January.
- Clemson is 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games vs the SEC.
- Alabama is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games after a loss.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Alabama's last 6 games against the ACC.
- Alabama is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games after losing as a favorite.
- The OVER is 2-0 in the last 2 games between Clemson and Alabama with the teams averaging a combined 75.5 ppg.
Expert Prediction: The Crimson Tide are the 3-point favorites to win the game. Alabama wasn’t very good against the spread this season in comparison to Clemson, who finished 8-4 ATS, so I’m taking the Tigers at +3 as well as the UNDER.