It’s been over a decade since the LSU Tigers last won a national title. And now, they have the golden opportunity to end the drought as Joe Burrow and the Tigers are all set to lock horns with the defending national champions, Clemson Tigers. The game will be at the same site where LSU lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide during the College Football semifinal back in 2017, so they will have some personal demons to exorcise in this winner-take-all collision.
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Betting Preview for the Clemson Tigers vs LSU Tigers CFP National Championship Game on January 13 2020
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Monday, January 13, 2020, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Clemson Tigers (+5.5) vs. LSU Tigers (-5.5) – view all 2019 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Clemson Tigers (14-0 Overall / 8-0 Conference)
Joe Burrow and LSU’s offense are a big worry for any team, but Clemson has repeatedly proven it can shut down high-octane attacks when it gets it together. You don’t have to reach too far into the past to see one such example. Just recently, Clemson flashed its mighty defense when the Tigers came from behind to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes, 29-23, in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. The Tigers have elite playmakers on defense, which largely explains why Clemson is no. 1 in the nation against the pass. Clemson is allowing just 154.2 passing yards per game, and even if LSU focuses on attacking Dabo Swinney’s team on the ground, it won’t be easy. Clemson is 11th nationally with a run defense that is allowing only 3.1 yards per carry and 110.5 rushing yards per game on the season — eighth and 11th overall, respectively. Third overall in interceptions with 19 picks, Clemson will rely on the trio of Tanner Muse, K’Von Wallace, and Isaiah Simmons to contain LSU’s receivers. Simmons has been particularly fantastic of late, with an interception in each of the last two Clemson games.
Clemson has another solid trio operating on the other side of the field. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne, and wide receiver Tee Higgins have all been lethal this season. Lawrence is a tried-and-tested signal-caller in the biggest stage of them all. He had three total touchdowns while also leading Clemson in rushing yards in the Fiesta Bowl. Etienne is 12th in the nation with 109.71 rushing yards per game, while Higgins has over 1,500 receiving yards.
Clemson is 8-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 games.
Betting on the LSU Tigers (14-0 Overall / 8-0 Conference)
What was expected to be a barnburner of a game turned out to be a lopsided one that might as well have been labeled with a Parental Guidance notice on the TV coverage with how LSU brutalized the Jalen Hurts and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in a 63-28 victory. The game was virtually over at the half, which by then, Burrow had already scored seven touchdowns. Burrow, this season’s Heisman Trophy winner, is having a sensational campaign, to say the least. He finished the regular season with 5,208 passing and 55 touchdowns against just six interceptions. On top of those, he has a 77.6 completion percentage — the highest single-season mark of all-time in college football. Burrow is perfectly capitalizing on the two talented LSU receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Both Chase and Jefferson are NFL first-round quality playmakers, who ended the regular season with 1,559 and 1,434 receiving yards, respectively. LSU is no. 1 in the nation in scoring offense and total offense, averaging 47.6 and 560.8 total yards per game.
LSU is also getting immense results from its rejuvenated defense that has stepped it up of late. The Tigers are 28th in the FBS this season with 22.2 points allowed per game, but they have turned it up of late, with only 12.3 points surrendered over their last three games prior to the win over the Sooners. LSU’s defensive backs are going to be key in slowing down Clemson’s receivers, whose bodies might still be sore after a physical contest against the Buckeyes.
LSU went 9-5 ATS this season, but is 3-0 ATS in its last three games.
Writer’s Prediction
LSU wins, 34-30.
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