The Clemson Tigers looked like their 28-game winning streak was going to come to a crashing halt against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State went up 16-0 in the early going of their matchup in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, but then Clemson rallied all the way back. They got some key red zone stops, holding the Buckeyes to early field goals, and then what looked like a Clemson fumble that Ohio State took back for a touchdown ended up being ruled as a controversial incompletion.
All of those factors sent the Buckeyes home when Clemson scored on a late drive that traveled 94 yards in just four plays and then picked off an Ohio State pass in the end zone. Now Clemson takes on LSU, a team that looks like a real juggernaut after scoring at a record clip in a shellacking of Oklahoma in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.
Can Clemson really stop LSU — who has already beaten Alabama and Georgia this season? If you are wondering the Clemson odds to win the 2020 National Championship, check out these reasons why Clemson will now win their 30th straight game and their second straight national championship.
Why Bet on Clemson to Win the 2020 National Championship
Trevor Lawrence can keep up with Joe Burrow
It is true that LSU’s Joe Burrow can score at a video-game style pace. He threw for seven touchdown passes against Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl — all in the first half. He ran for a score in the third quarter to account for a total of eight touchdowns. The LSU offense averages 48.9 points per game this season. How can Clemson keep up?
Well, Clemson averaged 6.7 yards per play against Ohio State. Each one of their scoring drives went at least 75 yards. Clemson scored 45.3 points per game this season and gained 7.5 yards per play. Trevor Lawrence had some difficulties early, throwing some bad interceptions, but then he figured out how to let the offense flow, and he ended up posting a 36:8 TD:INT ratio. His last pick came back on October 19 against Louisville. Plus, he’s not just a threat with his arm. The Clemson offense features designed runs for him, and he ran for 514 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Against Ohio State, he ran for 107 yards — including a 67-yard rumble for a touchdown.
Tailback Travis Etienne finds ways to score
The Ohio State offense bottled up Etienne in the running game, so Clemson found ways to incorporate him in the passing game, including that screen pass that scored the winning touchdown. Etienne has 1,536 yards on just 192 carries, averaging eight yards per attempt and scoring 18 times. As a receiver out of the backfield, he caught 32 balls for 39 yards and four more touchdowns. He ran 10 times for 36 yards against Ohio State but caught three passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores.
Tee Higgins will be healthy
Higgins missed much of the first half against Ohio State due to injury, but given the two-week break between the Fiesta Bowl and the national championship, he will be at full strength. Higgins caught 56 passes for 1,115 yards and 13 touchdowns. Amari Rodgers caught 28 balls for 418 yards and four touchdowns, and Justyn Ross, the hero of last year’s national championship, had 61 catches for 789 yards and eight scores. There are also Diondre Overton, Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson coming off the bench, and tight end Braden Galloway played in the Fiesta Bowl after completing a one-year suspension. LSU has a terrific secondary, but Texas, Florida and Alabama all hit 300 passing yards against them, and Lawrence can also.
Clemson can deliver in the clutch
Ohio State came out swinging against Clemson in the national semifinal, but Clemson got stops to keep the lead from getting out of hand and then made the adjustments (and got some help from the officials) to come all the way back. Clemson is battle-tested and has also beaten Alabama — in last year’s national championship — by a lot more than LSU beat this year’s team. So if you think LSU is going to roll over the Tigers like they did over the Sooners, you’re in for a big surprise.
