Ended bowl season with a posted record just over .500. I don't post units, but had hit most of my bigger bets until the Oregon meltdown. A little bit of live betting helped me there, but I was counting my money at halftime. Goes to show why I hate backing teams that don't play any defense.
As for the last game, I always put a bet in on Alabama to win the championship, so I'm holding an Alabama +600 bet. I have also bet on the UN 52'. Early thoughts on the game are that Clemson's offense and Watson in particular will pose a different threat than Michigan State's offense. I've heard it stated on TV that Clemson and Ole Miss run the same offense, though from what I've seen that's not entirely accurate. I really like the level of focus from Alabama right now, and they are playing their best football of the season, different from the last few seasons where they peaked in October/November. Coker played the game of his life against Mich St, and if he can put together a similar performance, it's going to be tough for Clemson to slow down Alabama. There are no worries about Derrick Henry being banged up or tired, and I do believe that Clemson's aggressive defense can be neutralized against the run. For Clemson, Watson is the key, as he has been in all their games. He is an exceptional player, and exceptional QB play, along with offensive balance, has been the key to beating Alabama the last few seasons. However, I do think this is our best defense against the more modern offenses we've seen. Our rotation on the DL along with the substitution patterns this season have been perfected and rarely have you seen the defense out of position pre-snap, which has plagued us against Auburn, aTm, and Ohio State. I think if both teams play a clean game, Alabama wins. As always, turnovers and special teams play can swing it either way. Those two factors have certainly been issues for us in the past, though we have been more than solid in both departments since the Ole Miss game. Last year, Ohio State played an exceptional game against Alabama, and Clemson can certainly do the same, but (homer alert) I think this team gets it done. My PR line gives a line of Alabama -4, but hasn't been updated since the end of the regular season. After watching the games last Thursday, I think the current line of 7/8 is pretty good.