2019 CFP National Championship - Betting Odds to Win

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CFP National Championship Betting

In an attempt to crown an undisputed national champion, the College Football Playoff was born. While there may have been some disagreements over the third and fourth teams selected, there is no doubt this year’s National Championship Game will feature the two best teams in college football. No disrespect to Central Florida, but I don’t think the Knights are in the same class as the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, who square off for the third time in the fifth CFP National Championship Game.

2019 CFP National Championship at a Glance

Date: Monday, January 7th, 2019

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Venue: Levi’s Stadium

Location: Santa Clara, California

Teams: Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Opening CFB Odds: Alabama -6, O/U 59.5

TV: ESPN

CFP National Championship Betting News

It is already being touted as “Part IV.” The College Football National Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers is the fourth consecutive post season meeting between what have become the top two dominant programs in the sport. The Crimson Tide are the defending national champions and have won a total of five nattys since Nick Saban took over as coach in 2007. The Tigers have enjoyed a renaissance under head coach Dabo Swinney and are just two years removed from their own national title. Both teams dominated their playoff opponents last week to clearly establish themselves as the best two teams in the land. More

CFP National Championship Preview

There is no arguing who the best teams in college football are. Clemson and Alabama enter Monday night’s game as the only undefeated Power 5 teams and both are coming off big semifinal wins, proving that they are indeed deserving of another showdown for the crystal egg.

Clemson might be the only team capable of taking down Nick Saban’s dynasty. The Tigers rolled through the regular season in much the same way the Tide did, with an explosive offense and a ferocious defense. Some will claim the SEC is a stronger league overall than the ACC, but there’s no denying that Clemson is a force and would be just as good playing in Bama’s conference.

This will be the first time two undefeated times will play for the CFP national championship, guaranteeing an unbeaten titleist for the first time since 2013 when Florida State claimed the title a year before the formation of the playoff. This is also the fourth meeting between these heavyweights in the playoff and third in the CFP Final with the teams splitting the first two.

Alabama won the 2015 season title game, 45-40, by holding off a late Clemson comeback bid and handing the Tigers their only loss. Deshaun Watson’s touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining pulled Clemson close, but Bama recovered the onside kick to seal the victory. The teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense with Clemson producing 550 against the nation’s third-best defense.

The rematch a year later was just as scintillating with Clemson able to exact its revenge, handing Alabama its only loss of the season, 35-31. It was also the first ever rematch between No. 1 and No. 2 in a national championship game. Watson threw a short scoring pass with one second left on the clock for the game-winner

CFP National Championship Format

Through a selection process by a 13-member committee, the top four teams are ranked No. 1 through No. 4 and compete in the College Football Playoff. The bracket-style format pits No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the national semifinals, which are played the week before the National Championship Game.

The two semifinals rotate between six major bowl games. For the 2018 season, the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will host the semifinals with the winner of those games meeting in Santa Clara. The Fiesta and Peach Bowls will be a semifinal destination next season with the Rose and Sugar Bowls entertaining semifinalists for the 2020 season.

The first CFP following the 2014 season was a huge success at the turnstiles with over a quarter of a million fans attending the three games. The first national championship game attracted 85,788 fans to ATT Stadium to watch Ohio State claim the title with a victory over the Oregon Ducks.

CFP National Championship Game Results

Last year, for the first time in the game’s brief history, two schools from the same conference squared off when the Tide defeated Georgia, 26-23, in an overtime thriller. Alabama didn’t win or compete in the SEC title game, but was invited to the CFP for a fourth time. Georgia, which won the SEC title, made its first appearance.

The inaugural title game was the most lopsided to date with Ohio State upsetting 7-point favorite Oregon, 42-20. The Buckeyes held a 1-point lead midway through the third quarter before future first-round draft pick Ezekiel Elliott went off. Elliott scored the game’s final three touchdowns and totaled 246 rush yards, a record that still stands. OSU won its first national title since 2002 and its eighth overall.

The middle games featured two barnburners between the same teams. Alabama won the 2015 season game, 45-40, by holding off a late Clemson comeback bid and handing the Tigers their only loss. The Tide was coming off a shutout of Michigan State in the semis, but had a tough time containing Deshaun Watson, who amassed a national championship game record with 478 total yards.

Watson’s touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining pulled Clemson close, but Bama recovered the onside kick to seal the victory. The teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense with Clemson producing 550 against the nation’s third-best defense.

The rematch a year later was just as scintillating with Clemson able to exact its revenge, handing Alabama its only loss of the season, 35-31. It was also the first ever rematch between No. 1 and No. 2 in a national championship game. Clemson had a number of players return for just this reason with Deshaun Watson being one of them, and he went out in style. Watson set a CFP title game record with 420 passing yards, the final two coming on a touchdown with one second left on the clock for the game-winner.

The final four-and-a-half minutes were heart-stopping. Wayne Gallman’s touchdown gave the Tigers a 28-24 lead, only to watch Jalen Hurts throw a scoring pass with 2:31 remaining for a 31-28 Tide advantage. Taking over with just over two minutes remaining, Watson delivered his finest moment.

Most All-Time Wins at CFP National Championship

Largely considered the best conference in college football, the Southeastern has proved it sending four teams to the national championship game and coming away with a pair of victories. Led by Nick Saban, Alabama has been a dynasty and is the only team to appear in all four CFP tournaments reaching the championship game in each of the last three years and winning the SEC’s two titles.

The ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten have sent only one representative to the CFP title game and Clemson is the only other team to make multiple appearances. With the balance of power in the hands of just a few teams, it could be a few more years before that trend is broken.

Only the Big 12 has yet to make an appearance in the CFP title game, though the league had its chances. Oklahoma reached the playoff in the 2015 and 2017 seasons only to fall in the semifinals.

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