College Football National Championship Bold Predictions

1. Alabama defeats Clemson by two or more touchdowns

I went with the underdogs in round one of the playoffs, but I think the favored Crimson Tide come away with the title by a comfortable margin.  It should be a bit more competitive than both the semifinal games, with the contest staying close into the fourth quarter.  But a late Alabama touchdown gives them the win and another national championship to add to their resume.  Final score: 34 - 20.

2. Watson rushes for season-high yardage

 

 

The one thing the Tigers have going for them are the well-documented struggles of Alabama's defense when facing mobile quarterbacks.  The Clemson QB ran for a season-best 145 yards against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, after posting previous highs against North Carolina and South Carolina in the two preceding games.  I think he tops all his performances with another big day on the ground.  He'll find some success passing, too, but ultimately it won't be enough to take down Alabama.

3. The winner's margin of victory won't be as big as Buckeyes' in 2014 title game

Ohio State dominated Oregon in a way that I don't think either team will be able to match in this year's championship.  While I expect Alabama to win in impressive fashion, they won't look as good as the Bucks did a year ago.

4. Derrick Henry goes off against Tigers, accumulating 200+ yards on the ground

You can bet that the Alabama running back is hearing the whispers (and obnoxious yelling) saying that he shouldn't have won the Heisman.  I think all the talk of McCaffrey being robbed motivates Henry to possibly his biggest game of the year, as he runs all over Clemson.

5. Fans express joyous support of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

 

 

Why wouldn't they?  In the SEC's own words, they "protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation."  Sounds good to me.  And we can always count on fans of southern football programs to have abundant knowledge of complex economic principles and the ways that government agencies positively impact their lives.  At least, that's the conclusion I'm drawing based on the fact that we often hear chants of S-E-C ringing through the stadium during football games involving southern teams.  I think we might just hear some chanting on Monday as well.  Let's go market regulation!