Clemson Tigers v LSU: NCAA National Championship predictions, odds & pick

Best bet

Clemson Tigers
1pt 19-10 William Hill

Where to watch

BT Sport ESPN, 1am Monday night

NCAA National Championship preview

Clemson's Tigers can roar loudest when they take on LSU Tigers in the 2020 National Championship Game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Monday night.

Louisiana State are led by quarterback Joe Burrow, who is expected to be picked first by the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL draft, but third-ranked Clemson are the defending champions and can keep hold of their title.

Both sides are unbeaten this season at 14-0, and after Clemson’s 15-0 season last year, they have extended their winning streak to 29 games.

Dabo Swinney's side were 6.5-point underdogs when they crushed Alabama 44-16 in last season's title game but bookmakers give the edge to LSU due to the impressive performances of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Burrow.

Fresh from a monster outing in the Peach Bowl, where Burrow threw for a record-setting 493 yards and seven touchdowns in a 63-21 win over Oklahoma, public opinion of LSU is at an all-time high but the prices look to be an overreaction.

Clemson are not Oklahoma. The Sooners' defence had been suspect all season, conceding 41 and 48 to teams such as Iowa State and Kansas State.

The highest-scoring offence they faced this season was Ohio State, who Clemson beat in a come-from-behind 26-23 win in the Fiesta Bowl, holding the Buckeyes offence to a season-low 23 points.

LSU's barnstorming victory over Oklahoma somewhat overshadowed the grit Clemson showed to get past the Buckeyes, who many had thought were the best team this season.

Both sides have star quarterbacks and Clemson's Trevor Lawrence - not yet eligible to join the NFL - is every bit as exciting a prospect as Burrow. He has an unblemished college record and has remarkably won 70 of 71 games dating back to high school.

Clemson have a plethora of weapons in Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross who have combined for 3,836 all-purpose yards and 43 touchdowns and they will be tough to stop.

In a game billed around two powerhouse offences, it could pay to side with the better defence and that belongs to Clemson, who have allowed the second-fewest yards per game this season with 264 and held 11 of their 14 opponents to fewer than 14 points.

Burrow’s numbers have been nothing short of staggering, and that’s why he won the Heisman, but this Clemson defence will be the best he’s faced, and a stout defensive performance can secure them back-to-back national titles.

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