Bama blew out Clemson in 2008 eventually leading to the hiring of Dabo It’s Been Building for Awhile – This classic rivalry has been building since 2008. It was the season opener of Bama vs Clemson in the old Georgia Dome. At the time it was viewed as a nice way to kick off the season. Bama was under just its second season under Saban. The previous year he was 7-6 including a loss to UL Monroe. Clemson was coached by Tommy Bowden and was a five point favorite.
Saban blew Bowden’s doors off 34-10.
Bowden would take a lot of criticism after media reports got out that Bowden had called Saban seeking advice after taking that pimpslap. Six weeks later after a loss at Wake Forest in ESPN’s featured Thursday night game, Bowden was handed his pink slip. Some unknown dude named Dabo Swinney was named interim head coach.
Alabama would remain unbeaten until going back to the Georgia Dome, where Tim Tebow led the Gators past the Tide in the SEC Championship Game. That loss was the turning point for Alabama in its dynastic 12-year run under Saban.
Since that defeat to UF, Alabama is 6-0 in SEC Championship Games, including this year’s 35-28 come-from-behind victory over Georgia.
The turning point for Clemson during Swinney’s 11 years on the job came at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4 of 2012 when QB Geno Smith led West Virginia to a 70-33 win over the Tigers. Dabo hired away DC Brent Venables Oklahoma’s DC Brent Venables where he served under Bob from 1999-2011. Since taking the same gig at Clemson, the Tigers have an 86-11 record.
Saban blew Bowden’s doors off 34-10.
Bowden would take a lot of criticism after media reports got out that Bowden had called Saban seeking advice after taking that pimpslap. Six weeks later after a loss at Wake Forest in ESPN’s featured Thursday night game, Bowden was handed his pink slip. Some unknown dude named Dabo Swinney was named interim head coach.
Alabama would remain unbeaten until going back to the Georgia Dome, where Tim Tebow led the Gators past the Tide in the SEC Championship Game. That loss was the turning point for Alabama in its dynastic 12-year run under Saban.
Since that defeat to UF, Alabama is 6-0 in SEC Championship Games, including this year’s 35-28 come-from-behind victory over Georgia.
The turning point for Clemson during Swinney’s 11 years on the job came at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4 of 2012 when QB Geno Smith led West Virginia to a 70-33 win over the Tigers. Dabo hired away DC Brent Venables Oklahoma’s DC Brent Venables where he served under Bob from 1999-2011. Since taking the same gig at Clemson, the Tigers have an 86-11 record.
Clemson beat Clemson in 2017 on a pick play in the end zone Did you not like Ali-Frazier? - These teams now face off in the College Football Playoff for the fourth straight year. And for the third time it will be for it all. In the first meeting, Alabama won 45-40 in a thriller, but Clemson took backers took hone the cash as a six-point underdog thanks to a Deshaun Watson back door cover TD pass with 12 ticks remaining.
One year later, Watson found Hunter Renfrow for a two-yard TD pass with one second left to lift Clemson, a 6.5-point underdog, to a 35-31 win and the school’s first national title since 1981. Epic
It set up a third straight meeting in the CFP semifinals at the Sugar Bowl last season, Alabama won 24-6 behind a sensational defensive effort.
There’s youth in key spots on both sides of the ball, NFL-ready talents all over the place, and the type of depth, athleticism, and brilliance to make this a fourth straight amazing national championship.
Depending on who’s leaving early, it’s quite possible that ten of the top 50 players taken in the NFL Draft in a few months will be coming from this game.
And with Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailo and Clemson signal caller Trevor Lawrence both returning in 2019, there’s a strong chance these schools will meet again next year.
So, the question by the talking heads is, is this rivalry bad for College Football?
Was Ali-Frazier bad for boxing?
Enjoy it while you can. Maybe Saban will call it quits in a few years or Dabo heads off to the pros. Then what will you have?
Sure other teams will step up. Georgia has given it a couple of tries only to blow late leads and games. They are not quite ready for prime time. Ohio State just let their best hope retire taking a ton of baggage with him. Michigan? Sorry, I just blew some whiskey and water through my nose. The drop off gets pretty steep.
One year later, Watson found Hunter Renfrow for a two-yard TD pass with one second left to lift Clemson, a 6.5-point underdog, to a 35-31 win and the school’s first national title since 1981. Epic
It set up a third straight meeting in the CFP semifinals at the Sugar Bowl last season, Alabama won 24-6 behind a sensational defensive effort.
There’s youth in key spots on both sides of the ball, NFL-ready talents all over the place, and the type of depth, athleticism, and brilliance to make this a fourth straight amazing national championship.
Depending on who’s leaving early, it’s quite possible that ten of the top 50 players taken in the NFL Draft in a few months will be coming from this game.
And with Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailo and Clemson signal caller Trevor Lawrence both returning in 2019, there’s a strong chance these schools will meet again next year.
So, the question by the talking heads is, is this rivalry bad for College Football?
Was Ali-Frazier bad for boxing?
Enjoy it while you can. Maybe Saban will call it quits in a few years or Dabo heads off to the pros. Then what will you have?
Sure other teams will step up. Georgia has given it a couple of tries only to blow late leads and games. They are not quite ready for prime time. Ohio State just let their best hope retire taking a ton of baggage with him. Michigan? Sorry, I just blew some whiskey and water through my nose. The drop off gets pretty steep.
It's Frazier vs For Dabo, - a second would launch him into the next tier of greatness. With Urban Meyer retiring, no other coach has a second championship belt. Les Miles has one. So does Mack Brown. So does Jimbo Fisher. That’s it.
If you drill down deeper, over the course of the BCS era going back to 1998, only Saban and Urban were able to win multiple national championships – Pete Carroll sort of won two, but he only got the one BCS title.
Joe Paterno won two national championships over his long career, and so did Bobby Bowden. Jim Tressel had just the one, and so did Steve Spurrier and Phil Fulmer. Fellow College Football Hall of Famers Barry Alvarez, Frank Beamer didn’t have any. Bo Schembechler never even got close.
Just 49, Swinney is just getting started as he has Clemson humming, with four straight College Football Playoff appearances, eight straight double-digit win seasons, and with three 14-win campaigns in the last four.
Swinney has gone 54-4 over the last four seasons, and two of those losses were to you-know-who.
Oh yeah, and for Swinney, a win would leave him with a 2-2 record against Saban - only Steve Spurrier has been better vs. Saban.
If you drill down deeper, over the course of the BCS era going back to 1998, only Saban and Urban were able to win multiple national championships – Pete Carroll sort of won two, but he only got the one BCS title.
Joe Paterno won two national championships over his long career, and so did Bobby Bowden. Jim Tressel had just the one, and so did Steve Spurrier and Phil Fulmer. Fellow College Football Hall of Famers Barry Alvarez, Frank Beamer didn’t have any. Bo Schembechler never even got close.
Just 49, Swinney is just getting started as he has Clemson humming, with four straight College Football Playoff appearances, eight straight double-digit win seasons, and with three 14-win campaigns in the last four.
Swinney has gone 54-4 over the last four seasons, and two of those losses were to you-know-who.
Oh yeah, and for Swinney, a win would leave him with a 2-2 record against Saban - only Steve Spurrier has been better vs. Saban.
Ali version IV For Saban - a win would put him on a level never seen before. Seven titles, two in a row, three in four seasons and six in ten season. There have been a whole slew of epic runs in the history of college football, but considering the era, the improvements across the sport in recruiting, talent evaluation, scheduling, etc., what Saban is doing at Alabama has set the bar for greatness at higher and higher levels each season.
Yet, for all the amazing things Saban has accomplished, his 2009 team that won the BCS Championship over Texas is the only one to finish unbeaten. His 2016 team came close, but Clemson’s Deshaun Watson ruined the perfect run.
Considering how dominant the Tide were throughout the season, and with the great Georgia, Oklahoma, and – potentially – Clemson squads needing to be taken down to win it all again, this team would be put among the all-time greats.
Yet, for all the amazing things Saban has accomplished, his 2009 team that won the BCS Championship over Texas is the only one to finish unbeaten. His 2016 team came close, but Clemson’s Deshaun Watson ruined the perfect run.
Considering how dominant the Tide were throughout the season, and with the great Georgia, Oklahoma, and – potentially – Clemson squads needing to be taken down to win it all again, this team would be put among the all-time greats.
This is exactly why Trevor Lawrence was brought in For Clemson to win - "it's Alabama and then the rest of y'all” That's what Swinney has been preaching all year. Swinney's got his players believing in that underdog mindset and, I'm sure, he's made the entire team aware of what the oddsmakers have made the point spread.
That underdog mindset, when fully embraced by a team, is one that can accomplish great things in these one timer games – just ask anyone who faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoff a year ago. The fact that Dabo has been planting this seed of Clemson being a part of “the rest of y'all” since the beginning was not by accident, and this is Clemson's opportunity to prove it to the world.
This Bama defense is not quite outherwordly like past versions. Running on the DL is possible. It’s still amazing by any normal standards, but this year was the first time Bama allowed more than three yards per carry since 2014.
The secondary Alabama secondary really showed some holes on defense against Oklahoma, as Murray went after freshman Patrick Surtain II most of the game when they made their comeback. That same secondary gave up over 300 yards in the near loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Their 19 touchdown passes are the most giving up since, again, 2014.
Basically, this Alabama defense is as good as any in college football just not up to prior standards.
The Alabama running game might come in waves, but Clemson is allowing 2.4 yards per carry, giving up just 88 yards to Notre Dame and allowing just one touchdown run since early November.
That underdog mindset, when fully embraced by a team, is one that can accomplish great things in these one timer games – just ask anyone who faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoff a year ago. The fact that Dabo has been planting this seed of Clemson being a part of “the rest of y'all” since the beginning was not by accident, and this is Clemson's opportunity to prove it to the world.
This Bama defense is not quite outherwordly like past versions. Running on the DL is possible. It’s still amazing by any normal standards, but this year was the first time Bama allowed more than three yards per carry since 2014.
The secondary Alabama secondary really showed some holes on defense against Oklahoma, as Murray went after freshman Patrick Surtain II most of the game when they made their comeback. That same secondary gave up over 300 yards in the near loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Their 19 touchdown passes are the most giving up since, again, 2014.
Basically, this Alabama defense is as good as any in college football just not up to prior standards.
The Alabama running game might come in waves, but Clemson is allowing 2.4 yards per carry, giving up just 88 yards to Notre Dame and allowing just one touchdown run since early November.
Clemson needed Trevor Lawrence to emerge as the team’s starting quarterback this season. After losing to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last year, it was clear that the Tigers would have to throw downfield more to open up the entire offense. The freshman came through and is only getting better. He finished the year with 2,933 yards and 27 touchdowns to just four picks. Additionally, Lawrence is connecting on 65.5 percent of his throws and has not tossed a pick in four straight contests.
In his first playoff game he showed no nerves completing 27 of 39 for 327 yards and three TDs with no interceptions in a blowout win. Fearless, Notre Dame was able to get to him, and he still lit up the Irish secondary like a Christmas tree.
Just how big of an impact has Lawrence made on the offense? After connecting on just 18 throws of 30 yards or more in 2017, the Tigers have 32 such plays in ’18. The offense also has 11 completions of 50-plus yards, including a 52-yard touchdown toss in the Cotton Bowl victory over Notre Dame.
Alabama’s front seven dominated in last year’s Sugar Bowl and another performance like the one in New Orleans spell trouble for the Tigers. But with Lawrence at the controls, Clemson’s offense can stretch the field and can attack Alabama’s secondary with its speed and athleticism on the outside.
The biggest underappreciated aspect of this game - the Clemson offensive line. It’s not going to just hold its own against Bama, it’ll take over for stretches. RBTravis Etienne might not come up with his normal home runs, but he’ll have enough room to be productive.
In his first playoff game he showed no nerves completing 27 of 39 for 327 yards and three TDs with no interceptions in a blowout win. Fearless, Notre Dame was able to get to him, and he still lit up the Irish secondary like a Christmas tree.
Just how big of an impact has Lawrence made on the offense? After connecting on just 18 throws of 30 yards or more in 2017, the Tigers have 32 such plays in ’18. The offense also has 11 completions of 50-plus yards, including a 52-yard touchdown toss in the Cotton Bowl victory over Notre Dame.
Alabama’s front seven dominated in last year’s Sugar Bowl and another performance like the one in New Orleans spell trouble for the Tigers. But with Lawrence at the controls, Clemson’s offense can stretch the field and can attack Alabama’s secondary with its speed and athleticism on the outside.
The biggest underappreciated aspect of this game - the Clemson offensive line. It’s not going to just hold its own against Bama, it’ll take over for stretches. RBTravis Etienne might not come up with his normal home runs, but he’ll have enough room to be productive.
Tua is no slouch either For Bama to win - The 2018 version of Alabama’s offense has shifted from a run-first/power football approach to more of a spread team. That’s largely due to Tagovailoa’s emergence as the No. 1 quarterback, along with a receiving corps that might be the deepest in college football.
Tagovailoa proved once again that when he’s healthy, he’s one of the most accurate and effective passers college football has ever seen. All he did was completed 24-of-27 passes for 318 yards and four scores against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
The Tiger secondary is great, and the defensive front generates enough pressure to be a problem, but but against South Carolina, Jake Bentley went off for 510 yards and five scores.
Control the clock / not control the clock – Bama does what it needs to do. The offense normally strikes so quickly that keeping the ball and going on long, sustained drives is irrelevant. However, in the heat and humidity in Miami, the Tide kept Kyler Murray and the Oklahoma offense off the field by keeping possession for almost 12 more minutes, having it for over 36 minutes.
Against LSU, Alabama wanted to wear down the tough Tigers by playing a smashmouth style, and it worked, keeping the ball for over 35 minutes helped by a ground game that came up with 281 yards.
It’s possible to get to Trevor Lawrence. The Clemson offensive front has been phenomenal all season long, but Notre Dame was able to get into the backfield from time to time, generating three sacks and five tackles for loss. He’ll be under even more pressure against a D that led the SEC in sacks.
In general, the mobile ballers like Johnny Manziel and Chad Kelly were the ones who give Bama problems. Lawrence can move, but he’s a pocket passer.
Tagovailoa proved once again that when he’s healthy, he’s one of the most accurate and effective passers college football has ever seen. All he did was completed 24-of-27 passes for 318 yards and four scores against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
The Tiger secondary is great, and the defensive front generates enough pressure to be a problem, but but against South Carolina, Jake Bentley went off for 510 yards and five scores.
Control the clock / not control the clock – Bama does what it needs to do. The offense normally strikes so quickly that keeping the ball and going on long, sustained drives is irrelevant. However, in the heat and humidity in Miami, the Tide kept Kyler Murray and the Oklahoma offense off the field by keeping possession for almost 12 more minutes, having it for over 36 minutes.
Against LSU, Alabama wanted to wear down the tough Tigers by playing a smashmouth style, and it worked, keeping the ball for over 35 minutes helped by a ground game that came up with 281 yards.
It’s possible to get to Trevor Lawrence. The Clemson offensive front has been phenomenal all season long, but Notre Dame was able to get into the backfield from time to time, generating three sacks and five tackles for loss. He’ll be under even more pressure against a D that led the SEC in sacks.
In general, the mobile ballers like Johnny Manziel and Chad Kelly were the ones who give Bama problems. Lawrence can move, but he’s a pocket passer.
Surtain and the secondary can be picked on - I'll take the Over So who's the pick? - Bruce stopped reading around paragraph two. He has the attention span of a teenage virgin in a cat house. For the rest of you, here's who I would take if I were in the SuperBook tonight
Clemson +5.5 vs Bama - Expect the level of play to be at a ridiculously high level, with the lines each trading haymakers. I'm going with on the whole "on a mission" thing. Bama's defense is not quite to standards and trevor Lawrence was brought in for just this purpose.
It's the last game of the year so I'll lay a Mega Bet
The Tiger defense can be thrown on too so I'll take the over 56.5 for a quatloo.
Like the Super Bowl there are plenty of prop bets to be had.
One I like is a hedge bet of Bama winning by 7-10 points at +600. Put a quatloo on that just in case.
I also like - Will either team get three straight scores – I’ll take no at +175
What will be the longest TD of the game – I’ll take the under 55 yards
Clemson +5.5 vs Bama - Expect the level of play to be at a ridiculously high level, with the lines each trading haymakers. I'm going with on the whole "on a mission" thing. Bama's defense is not quite to standards and trevor Lawrence was brought in for just this purpose.
It's the last game of the year so I'll lay a Mega Bet
The Tiger defense can be thrown on too so I'll take the over 56.5 for a quatloo.
Like the Super Bowl there are plenty of prop bets to be had.
One I like is a hedge bet of Bama winning by 7-10 points at +600. Put a quatloo on that just in case.
I also like - Will either team get three straight scores – I’ll take no at +175
What will be the longest TD of the game – I’ll take the under 55 yards
