They battled once again for 60 minutes but the end was different from a year ago. The Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide last night in the final-second of play to take the national college football crown 35-31. We had predicted that both Clemson and the over were good bets in this game, and although it may not have looked that way in the first-half, the second-half of the game became a wild ride where all sorts of points were scored in all sorts of ways. That includes the game-winning TD with one second to go.
A few days before the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney noted, “The last 29 games we’re 27-2 and Alabama is 28-1.” He added. “The best two teams are here. I don’t think there’s any question about that.” He was correct on that second point, and after last night’s game, the record for each team is now 28-2 with each holding one NCAA Football championship in those two years.
2018 College Football Championship Futures
- Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1): The core is back, Nick Saban is coach, and they always have an amazing group of recruits.
- Florida State Seminoles (7-1): A great veteran defense plus fine QB Deondre Francois makes this team a contender.
- Oklahoma Sooners (8-1): The Sooners finished the year with 10 wins in a row and star quarterback Baker Mayfield will return- they have a shot.
- Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1); Urban Meyer is an amazing coach and stars J.T. Barrett and Mike Weber are back, which means that the Buckeyes will have a dynamic offense.
- USC Trojans (8-1): This team has a future as Heisman candidate QB Sam Darnold returns after the Trojans take the Rose Bowl by beating Penn State 52-49
- Louisville Cardinals (12-1): The Cardinals sputtered at the end of the season, losing three straight, but Heisman Trophy winner QB Lamar Jackson returns and this team will be primed to win.
- LSU Tigers (12-1): Great ground game, as Derrius Guice returns after rushing for close to 1,400 yards, and
- Michigan Wolverines (12-1): The highly respected Jim Harbaugh is the coach of a team that’s losing just about every major contributor.
- Clemson Tigers (18-1): Yes, they just won the national title but offense standouts Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, and Wayne Gallman will not return.
- Texas Longhorns (25-1): There’s been some upheaval in the organization but freshman quarterback Shane Buechele and just about the entire defense return.
- Oklahoma State Cowboys (30-1): The return of quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington will give the Cowboys a shot at contending.
- Penn State Nittany Lions (30-1): QB Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley return to a team that won 11 games and took the Big Ten title this year.
- Auburn Tigers (30-1): The Tigers have the SEC’s leading returning rusher Kamryn Pettway, and the talented transfer QB Jarrett Stidham, who was at Baylor.
- Washington Huskies (40-1): This team is a real long shot as they lose their top defensive players to the NFL.
- Georgia Bulldogs (40-1): A large number of Georgia players elected to skip the NFL and come back for a year, including Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and the Bulldogs have second-year quarterback Jacob Eason in charge of the offense.
- Virginia Tech Hokies (40-1): They had a great season, but QB Jerod Evans has gone to the NFL and the Hokies are a major long shot.
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