NEW ORLEANS — Clemson has a chance to make history tonight when it plays LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship at the Superdome in New Orleans.
With a win, Clemson can complete the greatest two-year run in college football and can become the first back-to-back national champion to go 15-0 in each season. Nebraska’s 1994 and 1995 teams went 12-0 and 13-0 and is the last back-to-back national champion to post back-to-back undefeated seasons.
Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers would love nothing more than to end Clemson’s 29-game winning streak.
Who has the edge in the national championship game?
Clemson’s defense vs. LSU’s Joe Burrow: When Clemson gets it opportunities to create negative plays and sacks, they better get him on the ground. According to ESPN’s Rece Davis, Burrow was hit 62 times this season, but was sacked just 16. “That is really good because a lot of them have been free runners with clean shots and he avoids it. Some of that is rules. You can’t hit them in the head. You can’t hit them low. So, there is a small target area and Joe is a strong player and a good athlete,” he said. “But it is not always about getting sacks, especially when he gets ride of the ball as well as he does. But when those opportunities come, whether it just by pressure or getting there with a four-man front, you have to finish the play. If they don’t finish the play and affect him somehow, they are not going to stop him. You have to be able to create negative plays against him and if you don’t you are going to be in for a long day.” Advantage: LSU
Trevor Lawrence vs. LSU’s secondary: A lot has been made about Burrow and how he can torch the Clemson secondary. But no one has talked about Trevor Lawrence going against LSU’s secondary. Lawrence has been feasting on defenses this season, especially in the last seven weeks when he has thrown 25 touchdowns since his last interception, which was eight games ago. “He is easily the biggest arm they have seen this year,” Davis said. “Obviously, they saw Tua who was not totally healthy, but he put 400 on them. They have exceptional corners. Stingley is a generational type talent at corner. I think they are better up front. They are really big up front and they are fast. I do think there are some guys at their nickel position and safety positions that have shown over the course of the year that they can be taken advantage of. You trust Trevor to get to those guys.” Advantage: Clemson
Travis Etienne vs. LSU’s front seven: Ohio State held Etienne to 36 yards on 10 carries and it was obvious that the Buckeyes were not going to let him beat him. However, LSU’s defensive front is not as good as Ohio State’s. LSU has had issues at times this year trying to set the edge and look for Clemson to try exploit that in this game. Also, Etienne will be playing with a chip on his shoulder going up against his home-state team in New Orleans. Though LSU recruited Etienne, they did not offer him until late in the process and he would love to show the SEC’s Tigers how big of a mistake that was. Advantage: Clemson
Clemson’s defense vs. LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Edwards-Helaire led the SEC in rushing touchdowns with 16 and he’s No. 4 in the league in total touchdowns (17). He rushed for 100+ yards in six of LSU’s nine SEC games. His 1,304 rushing yards are the third-most in the SEC. However, he has also caught 50 passes for 399 yards out of the backfield. His ability to catch the ball is a matchup problem for Clemson and he could hurt the Tigers here, especially if he is matched up on a Clemson linebacker. Advantage: LSU
Isaiah Simmons vs. LSU’s offense: As dominant as Joe Burrow and the LSU offense has been, Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons and the Clemson defense has been just as dominant. It will be a great chess match tonight. People say Clemson has not seen a quarterback like Joe Burrow all year, and that is true, but LSU has not seen a defensive player like Isaiah Simmons all year either. Look for Brent Venables to try and use him on so many different levels and mess up Burrow’s timing as much as he can. Advantage: Clemson
Bottom line: Though LSU and Clemson have two of the best offenses in the country, the theme of this game will be whoever plays defense the best will ultimately win. Clemson’s defense is one of the nation’s best in almost every major statistical category. Though Burrow will get his, I think Clemson’s defense in the end will perform better overall than LSU’s and will get a few more stops. Red zone offense and red zone defense will be something to watch. Clemson’s red zone defense is the nation’s best. LSU’s offense is the nation’s best in the red zone. Whoever wins the matchup between Clemson’s red zone offense and LSU’s red zone defense will win this game. I like Clemson in this matchup and that is why I am predicting the Clemson Tigers to win.
Score prediction: Clemson 40, LSU 30