Clemson goes to title game undefeated, underrated
The Clemson Tigers are the Rodney Dangerfield of the College Football Playoff and really, of the entire regular season. Despite running the table throughout its non-conference and ACC schedule, Clemson gets no respect.
This is a team that has a term called “Clemsoning” following it around. The term indicates that the Tigers will find some crazy way to mess up their season, and probably against a horrible team. Considering only the Alabama Crimson Tide remain on the docket, we don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Alabama is favored by a touchdown in the contest, and perhaps for good reason. Head coach Nick Saban has won four national championships (three with the Crimson Tide) and the program hails from the SEC, the toughest conference in the land. Alabama has one loss, but that came all the way back in the early stages of conference play against a then-hot Chad Kelly and the Ole Miss Rebels. Since then, Alabama has taken apart every foe in its wake, including a 38-0 demolition of the Michigan State Spartans in the national semifinals.
The Crimson Tide are also seen as the best program in the country, and rightfully so. This year, Saban and his staff will proudly watch two and perhaps three more players graduate to the National Football League via a first-round pick in inside linebacker Reggie Ragland, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and running back Derrick Henry.
Clemson? It has not won a national championship since 1981, the only one in school history. The Tigers have been very competitive under head coach Dabo Swinney, but the limelight has usually been elsewhere. Swinney has cultivated four consecutive double-digit win seasons in Death Valley, including a 2013 Orange Bowl victory.
After beating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC Championship game this season, Clemson was ranked No. 1 in the country and earned the right to play the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners. Somehow, Oklahoma was favored and the Tigers were Dangerfielded. Clemson responded and blew out the Sooners, setting up an epic matchup.
For Swinney, this game has to be extra special. The 46-year-old is playing his alma mater, where he played from 1990-92 as a wide receiver, then stayed on as a coach from 1993-2000 before going to Clemson. If Swinney could have dreamed this up any better, he should be working at Hollywood, not Clemson.
Ultimately, all the conjecture about why Alabama is going to win will come to an end on Monday night, right as the kickoff takes place amid thousands of flashes from the stands. The Tigers will have their chance to prove that they are the best team in the land by simply doing what they have been without fail all year long. Winning.
