College football fans fatigued over tonight's familiar matchup between Alabama and Clemson in the College Football Playoff championship game are entitled to their opinion.
After all, the two gridiron powers are meeting in the CFP for a fourth consecutive season.
One Eye On Gaming contributor (Almost Allright) will boycott tonight's ESPN telecast and another EOG sports enthusiast (Fair Warning) is likely to follow AA's lead.
Today's demanding viewing audience never seems happy.
Sports fans would sooner avoid a titanic clash of undefeated college football teams competing for the undisputed national title than honor Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty or admire Dabo Swinney's meteoric rise at Clemson.
Tough crowd.
Since 2015, Alabama is 55-3 while Clemson is 54-4.
A win by Clemson tonight would leave the two elite programs with identical records (55-4) over the past four seasons.
And neither team is resting on its laurels.
Both Alabama and Clemson have undergone drastic makeovers offensively this past season and the betting marketplace recognizes the changes.
The over/under in last year's meeting between Alabama and Clemson closed at 46.5 points (Pinnacle).
The over/under this season opened two touchdowns higher at 60.5 points.
Last season, 'Bama stoned Clemson in a CFP semifinal-round game by a score of 24-6, but the quarterbacks that night in New Orleans were Jalen Hurts and Kelly Bryant.
Every yard was a struggle and Alabama's defense dominated the game.
Usher in a new era for both programs where the emphasis is on dynamic passing attacks to complement punishing running games.
Both offenses are now led by exciting young quarterbacks operating in fast-paced systems designed to create explosive plays, the type of football that excites the recreational sports fan who roots for big plays and big points.
Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Clemson freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence are wise beyond their years and both possess the arm talent to perform at the NFL level.
Some mock drafts show creative playmaker Tagovailoa as the #1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and the statuesque Lawrence, standing 6-feet-6-inches, going #1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Both quarterbacks are quality pocket passers with Tua more of a running threat than Lawrence.
However, Tua's recent ankle injuries combined with Clemson's fierce pass rush could force him to play more a pro-style game tonight.
What differentiates Alabama and Clemson from the other 128 FBS teams is the knack for finding the best collection of massive but mobile defenders to pressure quarterbacks and create havoc in the opponent's backfield.
Clemson this season led all FBS teams with 52 sacks followed by Northern Illinois (50), UAB (48), Penn State (47) and you guessed it, Alabama (45).
The key to success at any sporting event is to rob your opponent of time.
Both Nick Saban and Dabo Sweeney are keenly aware of that principle.
But I look for both teams to play against the "back four" of their opponent's defensive schemes, not the vaunted "front sevens" of the traditional defensive powers.
And that's why tonight's game should be more of an offensive shootout than defensive struggle.
Sports bettors, in my opinion, have a bigger complaint about tonight's matchup than sports fans.
These two high-quality programs are teams a gambler wants to support, not fade.
Despite laying heavy pointspreads all season long, both Alabama and Clemson enter the championship game with the same winning pointspread record of 8-6.
Tonight's matchup is properly priced (Alabama -5 or -5.5 depending on where you shop) with plenty of data points to compare beyond the obvious head-to-head meetings in each of the last three seasons.
Alabama and Clemson had one common opponent this season in Texas A&M and the Crimson Tide looks better when studying comparative scores.
Long-standing historical info also points to Nick Saban's team.
Alabama holds a 14-4 in its all-time series against Clemson.
And here's a daunting thought for sports fans who will ignore tonight's heavyweight battle between Alabama and Clemson: Next season's most likely CFP championship game showdown is...wait for it....Alabama versus Clemson on January 7, 2020 in New Orleans with Tua Tagovailoa once again squaring off against Trevor Lawrence.
You heard it here first.
WILD CARD WEEKEND.....Three of the four NFL playoffs games this past weekend went under the closing total and all four games stayed under the first-half totals.
The only game to ruin a perfect 8-0 run was the Seattle-Dallas game where 15 points were scored in the game's final 2:08 to produce a 24-22 final in favor of the Cowboys.
I lost a live wager on the Seahawks-Cowboys total when betting under 42 after Dallas wide receiver Allen Hurns was carted off the field after sustaining a gruesome left leg injury midway through the first quarter of a 3-0 game.
I always like to bet under in live wagering when the medical team comes onto the field to administer to a seriously-injured player.
The long delay usually kills the momentum of the game, often times eliminates a key offensive player from the field and always sets in the mind of all clear-thinking players the grave dangers of the game.
Things were looking very good for my wager until all hell broke lose with a 22-point fourth quarter.
TWO CLEVER QUOTES....Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason is the sharpest member of the NFL Today crew on CBS and it's not even close.
Esiason is excellent at predicting what will happen because he fully understands what already took place.
He studies the past to learn more about the future.
Esiason was right when he predicted the Chargers would defeat the Ravens because "it's hard to beat a quality NFL team twice over a three-week period."
And credit former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, who also liked the Chargers to beat the Ravens, with a tried-and-true axiom involving the NFL postseason.
Cowher declared, "In the NFL, your strengths qualify you for the playoffs and your weaknesses get you eliminated from them."
HARD TO WATCH.....If you bet the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, you never had a chance, thanks in large part to the limited passing skills of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Two days before the game, EOG contributor HEIM posted the all-time winning percentage (35%) of rookie quarterbacks in the NFL postseason and steered clear of backing the short home favorite.
Good move.
Sometimes the best bet is no bet.
Ball protection was a big problem for the former Louisville star.
And former Dallas quarterback and current CBS football analyst Tony Romo offered some simple words for Jackson and his poor fundamentals and sloppy ball-handling.
"It only catches up to you when it catches up to you," Romo cracked.
Romo's warning to Jackson also applies to sports bettors who fail to secure the best possible prices before a game begins.
For gamblers, the saying goes something like this, "Getting the best of the number only matters when it matters...and then it really matters."
After all, the two gridiron powers are meeting in the CFP for a fourth consecutive season.
One Eye On Gaming contributor (Almost Allright) will boycott tonight's ESPN telecast and another EOG sports enthusiast (Fair Warning) is likely to follow AA's lead.
Today's demanding viewing audience never seems happy.
Sports fans would sooner avoid a titanic clash of undefeated college football teams competing for the undisputed national title than honor Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty or admire Dabo Swinney's meteoric rise at Clemson.
Tough crowd.
Since 2015, Alabama is 55-3 while Clemson is 54-4.
A win by Clemson tonight would leave the two elite programs with identical records (55-4) over the past four seasons.
And neither team is resting on its laurels.
Both Alabama and Clemson have undergone drastic makeovers offensively this past season and the betting marketplace recognizes the changes.
The over/under in last year's meeting between Alabama and Clemson closed at 46.5 points (Pinnacle).
The over/under this season opened two touchdowns higher at 60.5 points.
Last season, 'Bama stoned Clemson in a CFP semifinal-round game by a score of 24-6, but the quarterbacks that night in New Orleans were Jalen Hurts and Kelly Bryant.
Every yard was a struggle and Alabama's defense dominated the game.
Usher in a new era for both programs where the emphasis is on dynamic passing attacks to complement punishing running games.
Both offenses are now led by exciting young quarterbacks operating in fast-paced systems designed to create explosive plays, the type of football that excites the recreational sports fan who roots for big plays and big points.
Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Clemson freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence are wise beyond their years and both possess the arm talent to perform at the NFL level.
Some mock drafts show creative playmaker Tagovailoa as the #1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and the statuesque Lawrence, standing 6-feet-6-inches, going #1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Both quarterbacks are quality pocket passers with Tua more of a running threat than Lawrence.
However, Tua's recent ankle injuries combined with Clemson's fierce pass rush could force him to play more a pro-style game tonight.
What differentiates Alabama and Clemson from the other 128 FBS teams is the knack for finding the best collection of massive but mobile defenders to pressure quarterbacks and create havoc in the opponent's backfield.
Clemson this season led all FBS teams with 52 sacks followed by Northern Illinois (50), UAB (48), Penn State (47) and you guessed it, Alabama (45).
The key to success at any sporting event is to rob your opponent of time.
Both Nick Saban and Dabo Sweeney are keenly aware of that principle.
But I look for both teams to play against the "back four" of their opponent's defensive schemes, not the vaunted "front sevens" of the traditional defensive powers.
And that's why tonight's game should be more of an offensive shootout than defensive struggle.
Sports bettors, in my opinion, have a bigger complaint about tonight's matchup than sports fans.
These two high-quality programs are teams a gambler wants to support, not fade.
Despite laying heavy pointspreads all season long, both Alabama and Clemson enter the championship game with the same winning pointspread record of 8-6.
Tonight's matchup is properly priced (Alabama -5 or -5.5 depending on where you shop) with plenty of data points to compare beyond the obvious head-to-head meetings in each of the last three seasons.
Alabama and Clemson had one common opponent this season in Texas A&M and the Crimson Tide looks better when studying comparative scores.
Long-standing historical info also points to Nick Saban's team.
Alabama holds a 14-4 in its all-time series against Clemson.
And here's a daunting thought for sports fans who will ignore tonight's heavyweight battle between Alabama and Clemson: Next season's most likely CFP championship game showdown is...wait for it....Alabama versus Clemson on January 7, 2020 in New Orleans with Tua Tagovailoa once again squaring off against Trevor Lawrence.
You heard it here first.
WILD CARD WEEKEND.....Three of the four NFL playoffs games this past weekend went under the closing total and all four games stayed under the first-half totals.
The only game to ruin a perfect 8-0 run was the Seattle-Dallas game where 15 points were scored in the game's final 2:08 to produce a 24-22 final in favor of the Cowboys.
I lost a live wager on the Seahawks-Cowboys total when betting under 42 after Dallas wide receiver Allen Hurns was carted off the field after sustaining a gruesome left leg injury midway through the first quarter of a 3-0 game.
I always like to bet under in live wagering when the medical team comes onto the field to administer to a seriously-injured player.
The long delay usually kills the momentum of the game, often times eliminates a key offensive player from the field and always sets in the mind of all clear-thinking players the grave dangers of the game.
Things were looking very good for my wager until all hell broke lose with a 22-point fourth quarter.
TWO CLEVER QUOTES....Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason is the sharpest member of the NFL Today crew on CBS and it's not even close.
Esiason is excellent at predicting what will happen because he fully understands what already took place.
He studies the past to learn more about the future.
Esiason was right when he predicted the Chargers would defeat the Ravens because "it's hard to beat a quality NFL team twice over a three-week period."
And credit former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, who also liked the Chargers to beat the Ravens, with a tried-and-true axiom involving the NFL postseason.
Cowher declared, "In the NFL, your strengths qualify you for the playoffs and your weaknesses get you eliminated from them."
HARD TO WATCH.....If you bet the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, you never had a chance, thanks in large part to the limited passing skills of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Two days before the game, EOG contributor HEIM posted the all-time winning percentage (35%) of rookie quarterbacks in the NFL postseason and steered clear of backing the short home favorite.
Good move.
Sometimes the best bet is no bet.
Ball protection was a big problem for the former Louisville star.
And former Dallas quarterback and current CBS football analyst Tony Romo offered some simple words for Jackson and his poor fundamentals and sloppy ball-handling.
"It only catches up to you when it catches up to you," Romo cracked.
Romo's warning to Jackson also applies to sports bettors who fail to secure the best possible prices before a game begins.
For gamblers, the saying goes something like this, "Getting the best of the number only matters when it matters...and then it really matters."
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