We’ve done it all year, so we’re finishing off with our staff predictions for the big one Monday night between LSU and Clemson.
Yeah, yeah, we’re not an LSU or Clemson fan site. But hey, there’s a big one Monday night and we love football. So even if it’s being played in Alaska in a deep freeze in January we’re game. The national championship game is set to go unhinged in New Orleans Monday night and we’ll be watching and we’re sure you will be too. Unless that is, you’re still being triggered from what happened in the desert on December 28.
And really, who could blame you.
So, like we did during the season with all of the Ohio State contests, we’re opening it up to our contributors to provide their predictions for the national championship game between two dueling Tigers.
Monday night’s national title showdown between LSU and Clemson is loaded with top prospects for the 2020 NFL draft
This coming Monday all eyes will be on the National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana. While both teams are playing for college football immortality, for select players it goes beyond their final game in a college uniform.
There will be plenty NFL scouts in attendance as they get one final opportunity to put their notes together in a game before the offseason bowl games, combines and pro day workouts.
LSU TIGERS
QB Joe Burrow
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
At this point it seems like a foregone conclusion that Burrow will be the number one overall selection at this point. His Heisman season put him on the map and with the Cincinnati Bengals likely done with the Andy Dalton era all but over, look for Burrow to take off one tigers jersey and trade it for one in orange and black.
Athlon Sports has come out with its way too early top 25 college football teams for 2020 and Ohio State is at No. 2.
There’s still one more college football game to go to cap off the 2019 season, but with all but two teams done for the year, we’re starting to get the extremely early lookaheads for the next season. One of those publications — Athlon Sports — has come out with its Way Too Early Top 25 for 2020 and Ohio State is among one of the top teams projected.
According to Athlon, it has Ohio State all the way up to No. 2 in the country, just behind the Clemson Tigers. Here’s what it says about the prospects of what the Buckeyes could be next season.
The Buckeyes didn’t miss a beat in the coaching transition from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day and were a couple of plays away from a shot at the national championship. Ohio State will be back in the mix once again in 2020, as quarterback Justin Fields directs one of the nation’s top offenses after throwing for 3,273 yards and 41 scores to just three picks and running for 484 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year in Columbus.
Fields won’t have J.K. Dobbins (2,003 rushing yards), but Master Teague (789), Marcus Crowley (237), and Steele Chambers (135) will keep the ground game performing at a high level. Binjimen Victor and K.J. Hill depart the receiving corps, but there are plenty of targets in place thanks the emergence of Chris Olave (12 TDs) and Garrett Wilson (30 catches) in 2019. The Buckeyes will have a strong foundation in the trenches thanks to the return of left tackle Thayer Munford, center Josh Myers and guard Wyatt Davis. Day has to replace co-coordinator Jeff Hafley, and a defense that limited teams to just 13.7 points a game loses end Chase Young, tackles Jashon Cornell, Robert Landers and DaVon Hamilton, along with linebacker Malik Harrison and standout defensive backs Jeff Okudah (CB), Damon Arnette (CB), and Jordan Fuller (safety).
While those losses are hefty, Ohio State still has a ton of talent on that side of the ball to lean on, including breakout candidates in defensive end Zach Harrison and cornerback Shaun Wade. A Sept. 12 showdown at Oregon and an Oct. 24 game at Penn State highlight the 2020 schedule for the Buckeyes.
The college football season may not be over yet, but it's never too early to think about the next season. We’ve got four SEC teams in the top eight and five Big Ten schools in the top 13. https://t.co/tUwhKRvodQ
Of course we tend to agree. We’ve already laid out what OSU has coming back in the cupboard. With Justin Fileds directing what should be an explosive offense, and with the athleticism that’ll be on the field on the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes really should be able to make a run at some pretty special things once again.
Besides Ohio State and Clemson, Athlon’s top ten for 2020 consists of Alabama (3), LSU (4), Oklahoma (5), Penn State (6), Florida (7), Georgia (8), Notre Dame (9), and Wisconsin (1).
The annual overinflation of Michigan seems to be wearing out too. Athlon has the Wolverines projected at No. 12.
Despite losing to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl to end its season, Ohio State football is still ranked No. 1 in the latest ESPN FPI ratings.
If you believe Ohio State was the better team in the desert on the night of December 28, you have some company. Clemson won the game and made the plays it had to down the stretch, but the Buckeyes dominated for large portions of the game, missed out on a slew of breaks and opportunities and lost a close one.
But that didn’t stop the ESPN Football Power Index from keeping the Buckeyes at the No. 1 spot, ahead of both Clemson (who just knocked off OSU) and LSU. Both of those teams are preparing to play for a national championship in the Big Easy while Ohio State focuses on recruiting and preparations for the 2020 season.
According to ESPN’s explanation of how the FPI is calculated, The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.
It didn’t predict the defeat at the hands of Clemson very well, so there’s that.
Here’s the rest of the top ten according to the FPI.
So there are a lot of Ohio State conspiracy theorists that believe ESPN is conspiring against them. One would think that such a sophisticated conspiracy would not have Ohio State still as the #1 team in their Football Power Index! 🤔🤦🏻♂️🤓 pic.twitter.com/Qj0kL0vmtL
The biggest game for Notre Dame fans is an obvious one, that being when Clemson comes to South Bend on November 7. It will be just the fourth-ever meeting between the schools and Clemson’s first trip to Notre Dame since 1979.
Couple that with Trevor Lawrence and plenty of friends returning for the Tigers, who may be two-time defending national champions at that point and it could be the biggest game at Notre Dame Stadium since arguably the 2005 clash with USC.
247 Sports ranked that game the game they’re third most-excited for in 2020 with it trailing only Ohio State traveling to Oregon in September and Alabama and Georgia meeting in the regular season (non-SEC Championship) for the first time since 2015.
They also rank Notre Dame’s trip to Lambeau Field to take on Wisconsin in Week Five as the tenth most exciting matchup next season.
It’s hard to argue that either belong, my only argument would be that the Clemson match-up should be higher, although I get why it isn’t.
LSU vs. Clemson National Championship game predictions and recommendations on how to bet on the game.
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The LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers take the field Monday, January 13, at 8:00 p.m. ET in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
LSU vs. Clemson Odds and Betting Lines
LSU is favored by 5.5 points over Clemson, who is the defending National Champions. BetMGM oddsmakers are expecting a high-scoring affair, with the Over/Under set at 69.5 points.
On the money line, LSU has a -239 line while the underdog Clemson comes in at +190.
New to sports betting? A $100 bet at BetMGM on LSU to win outright profits just $41.84, while that same bet on Clemson would profit $190 with an upset victory.
National Championship Odds Special
Bet $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) if any LSU Tiger scores a touchdown against Clemson in the National Championship Jan. 13, 2020. Bet now!
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LSU vs. Clemson National Championship Predictions
Photo Credit: Brett Davis – USA TODAY Sports
SportsbookWire staff members sound off with their predictions on Clemson vs. LSU, included predicted National Championship scores. Who do you agree with? Let us know by tweeting us at @SportsbookWire.
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Ohio State’s season may be over this year, but as we look ahead to 2020, it should receive consideration for a preseason No. 1 ranking.
Not that it matters much, but it’s still a sense of pride and fun to talk about what the landscape of college football will look like next season. And yeah, I know we still have the biggest of games to go for this — the 2019 college football season, but we’re still looking ahead to next year because Ohio State’s season is over after a salty Fiesta Bowl.
So, let’s talk about next season shall we? Ohio State has a ton of guys coming back on an offense that was a top five unit in many categories last season. Justin Fields will be a year better behind an offensive line returning three All-Big Ten performers. The wide-receiver room lost three key players for the second-straight year, but the guys that are still around like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave will combine with arguably the best wide-receiver class to ever walk through the tunnel in Columbus.
Defensively, the line will be young, but talented and deep once again. Linebackers Tuf Borland, Pete Werner, Baron Browning and others remain in the second level to make the front seven awfully appealing. New guys in the back-end of the defense will have to emerge after three starters moved on to the NFL, but the return of Shaun Wade gives the Ohio State coaching staff a key piece to build around.
Needless to say, that’s a lot of talent that should result in a ton of optimism for what the Buckeyes can accomplish next year. So much so, it’s entirely possible that Ohio State can enter the season ranked No. 1 in one of the polls.
Ohio State picked to make 2020 College Football Playoff by 247Sports https://t.co/5ykfHLB7PO
The Alabama and Clemson narrative will be there. They both have a ton of talent with a reload at places in need, but you can’t put together too many teams beyond those two that’ll always be put up there until proven differently on a consistent basis.
In fact ‘Bama has to go through a quarterback competition after Tua Tagovailoa declared for the NFL Draft. LSU loses Heisman winner Joe Burrow, Oklahoma also loses Jalen Hurts under center, and the rest of the usual suspects have more holes than what’s going to be visible on the banks of the Olentangy.
The one team that Ohio State will likely be compared to evenly is Clemson. The Tigers might have the slight edge with the return of Trevor Lawrence and a returning young squad across the board, but we’ve already seen the Buckeyes outplay the Tigers and wind up just a wee-bit short because of some bad breaks and missed opportunities.
In an upcoming year in which there is a lot of turnover at the most important position on the football field, both Ohio State and Clemson have Heisman type guys back under center. It’ll likely be between the Buckeyes and Tigers for that preseason numero uno ranking.
Clemson likely gets the nod because of where the program is, but it’ll be a close one, and OSU will undoubtedly get a look at No. 1 by many pollsters.
The Tigers from Death Valley are definitely going to win.
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
The Tigers from Death Valley are playing the Tigers from Death Valley in the 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and it’s going to be so much fun.
Both undefeated, No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will face off for a perfect season — and a second consecutive one with a 30-game win streak should Clemson win. LSU destroyed No. 4 Oklahoma while Clemson narrowly topped No. 2 Ohio State in a thriller, and the final two title contenders will have more than two weeks prepare for the biggest game of the season and get healthy.
Five days before the title game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LSU is a 6-point favorite over Clemson, but that seems likely to change in the couple days before kick off.
Both teams are 14-0 ahead of this final game and are led by brilliant coaches and two of the best quarterbacks in the game. But here’s why LSU is going to win Monday night. (You can also read about why Clemson is going to win.)
(Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
3 reasons why LSU will win the national championship
1. Joe Burrow: This is, by far, the most obvious reason here, but it can’t be overlooked. The LSU quarterback has had a truly unbelievable season, practically doubling his stats from a decent 2018 campaign. Through 14 games, he has a 77.6 completion percentage and has thrown for more than 5,200 yards, along with 55 touchdowns. Against the Sooners, he and LSU set all kinds of crazy records. He was the first player to account for eight touchdowns in a bowl game — he threw seven — and his 493 passing yards also set a playoff game record. There’s a reason he won the Heisman Trophy and is the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and LSU can’t complete its perfect season without him.
2. Extra rest: In general, it’s a good thing when you have a large enough lead that your starting quarterback doesn’t have to finish the game. When it happens in a playoff semifinal game, that’s even better. Some LSU starters didn’t have to play the full 60 minutes against Oklahoma, which means a tiny bit of extra rest — even with the two-week break before the title game. And perhaps no one benefited more from LSU’s demolition of the Sooners than running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He injured his hamstring in practice during the week leading up to the semifinal game, and coach Ed Orgeron knew he wouldn’t be 100 percent. As one of the best running backs in college football, he only carried the ball twice and was able to rest as his team cruised to victory. A little extra rest might not matter with two weeks without a game, but then again, even the tiniest advantage could be the difference.
(Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
3. It’s all coming together: OK, this may seem like a cop-out, but whatever. LSU has had a storybook season with the Heisman winner leading an explosive offense and a coach loved by college football fans everywhere. The Tigers have had a dominant season all around and are beating teams by an average of more than 27 points. Plus, the national championship game is basically at home for them because Baton Rouge is only about an hour away from the Superdome. It just seems like everything is lining up for them.
Michelle’s pick: LSU Evan’s pick: Clemson
The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
The Tigers from Death Valley are playing the Tigers from Death Valley in the 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), and it’s going to be so much fun.
No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Clemson will face off at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans with a perfect season on the line. Less than a week before the final college football game of the season, LSU is a 6-point favorite, but that seems likely to shrink in the couple days before kick off.
To get here, Clemson beat No. 2 Ohio State in a semifinal thriller after LSU crushed No. 4 Oklahoma on the last Saturday in December, meaning the teams will have a little more than two weeks to prepare for the biggest game of the season.
Both teams have had incredible seasons and enter the final game with 14-0 records, and they’re both led by brilliant coaches and two of the best quarterbacks in the game. But here’s why Clemson will win Monday night.
(Norm Hall/Getty Images)
3 reasons why Clemson will win the national championship
1. Championship experience: Clemson is making its fourth appearance in the national championship game in five years while playing for its third title in four seasons. Last season, so many people assumed Alabama would take the Tigers down and win it all, and the exact opposite happened with Clemson rocking the Crimson Tide, 44-16. Obviously, players graduate or leave early for the NFL, but that championship mentality and experience as a group is important. Not to mention that the team is on a 29-game win streak — it hasn’t lost since January 2018 — with a chance to go 30-0 and win back-to-back titles.
2. Trevor Lawrence: But not in the way you think. T-Law is one of the most talented quarterbacks to play the game, but it’s typically his arm that dazzles fans. But in the semifinal, he beat Ohio State’s top-10 rushing defense and ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, which came on this stunning 67-yard play.
WOW.
Trevor Lawrence takes the ball 67-yards up the gut for a TD.
It was, by far, his best game on the ground to date and his first with more than 100 yards. And if he can move like that against LSU’s No. 24 rushing defense, it’s another difficult factor to defend.
3. Resilience: Down 16-0 midway through the second quarter against Ohio State, Clemson looked like it was in trouble. The Tigers were struggling to contain J.K. Dobbins, and it seemed like one more score for the Buckeyes could keep a win out of Clemson’s reach. But Dabo Swinney’s team fought back and trailed by only two points at halftime. Capitalizing on multiplecontroversialmoments and breakdowns in Ohio State’s defense, Clemson took control of the nail-biter. The game resembled the team’s early struggles this season when it still found a way to win, showing this team has had championship DNA in it all year.
Michelle’s pick: LSU Evan’s pick: Clemson
The 2019-20 College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, January 13 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Don’t you want to be the one to end Clemson’s streak?
Does it make sense for Notre Dame fans to be pulling for one of Clemson or LSU more than the other in next Monday night’s college football national championship?
Neither are anything near a traditional rival, although Notre Dame and LSU have matched up six times since 1997 with the Irish taking four of those matchups.
Meanwhile Notre Dame has played Clemson twice recently, one being a heart-breaking loss in a hurricane back in 2015 and the other being in the 2018 Cotton Bowl when the Tigers erupted in the second quarter to eliminate the Irish, 30-3.
We’ll look at why and why not to root for both teams in the final collegiate football game until August.
