Yet another rematch might not sound exciting, but here’s why this one would be awesome.
Alabama and Clemson have played in the last three College Football Playoff, twice for the national championship (a split) and once in a Sugar Bowl semifinal (a Bama cruise).
The two title games were among the most beloved games of the century. The first, at the end of the 2015 season, was an epic shootout. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson made the Alabama defense look like anything but an Alabama defense, but the Tide held on in a game that turned on an audacious onside kick with 10 and a half minutes to play.
The next ended with Watson rolling to his right and throwing the winning touchdown with a second left.
In 2018, the two have long appeared to be on a collision course yet again, and some fans are getting pretty tired of the idea.
Both teams have slightly better than a 50 percent chance of finishing the regular season 12-0, according to S&P+ projections. Even if everyone weren’t already accustomed to them playing in the Playoff, another meeting would be a logical projection. They’ve been the two title game favorites since the minute the last one ended.
“Can we just fast forward to Clemson-Bama … again?” CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd asked after, Week 8. Similar thoughts have been creeping across the internet all year, and not excitedly:
So it’s going to be Bama and Clemson again....Great! So much parity and excitement!!
— Didier Pogba (@GrantVinson15) October 21, 2018
Great, Alabama vs. Clemson again. What a farce this is. college football rankings
— Mitchell (@Idontknow0811) October 21, 2018
I’m not trying watch bama and Clemson in the ship again
— YoungKing (@YeaDatRod) October 22, 2018
All these people arguing about who's going to be 3 or 4, when it will be a Bama vs Clemson rematch in the natty anyway....
— Vincent Sailfish (@VSailfish) October 22, 2018
But I don’t think this has to be a bad thing.
Yeah, Bama and Clemson keep playing each other, but in 2018, they’re a) even better than usual and b) even tighter than usual.
The last time they were both this good and this much better than everyone else was 2015, the year their trilogy started. The S&P+ system had Bama as 1 point better than Clemson that year on a neutral field and Clemson as 5 points better than the next best team.
In 2016, S&P+ No. 2 Clemson was a projected 0.1 points better than No. 2 Michigan.
This year, Clemson’s 2.5 points better than No. 3 Oklahoma.
If it seems like Bama and Clemson are especially far above everyone else this year, that’s because they are. They also appear more evenly matched than they were in either ‘16 or ‘17.
Wrote Saturday that if we see Clemson-Bama IV in the playoff this year, it will be the best versions of both teams we’ve ever seen. These numbers are just sick… pic.twitter.com/WAzsZmMX4P
— Johnny Clickbait (@ADavidHaleJoint) October 22, 2018
Bama-Clemson is power on power every year, but this year is poised to have even more enticing matchups than usual.
- Tua Tagovailoa vs. Clemson’s whole dang pass defense. Tagovailoa might run away with the Heisman, and he has four amazing receivers. Clemson’s defensive line is a four-headed monster. The Tigers defense is No. 2 in Sack Rate. What happens when the best quarterback in the country is under pressure and has to throw against a unit that’s No. 3 in Havoc Rate (chaos-creating plays like pass breakups, picks, and tackles for loss)? I don’t know, but I’m interested to find out.
- Trevor Lawrence vs. Bama’s evolving, improving secondary. The Tide had to replace an entire defensive backfield after last year. Relatedly, they’ve suffered from periodic big-play problems, especially in the early part of the year. But the Tide have rounded into a top-five pass defense, per S&P+. Clemson’s freshman QB is the only QB in the country who might have more natural arm talent than Tagovailoa has. Can Lawrence throw enough darts to mess with Nick Saban’s personal position group? Again, I’d like to find out.
- The whole trench battle when Bama’s on offense. It’s not just about protecting Tagovailoa. Alabama has a typical Alabama offensive line. Left tackle Jonah Williams might be the best O lineman in all the land. Clemson’s D-line prowess is well documented. How do Austin Bryant, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins get after the Tide? That’s another thing I’d like to find out. So will scouts of all 32 NFL teams watching a Clemson line with four future pros going up against a Bama line that might produce five.
Would it be nice if this sport had some more parity? Sure.
It would be nice if I had a flying unicorn that could mix my gin-and-tonics and dispense $100 bills whenever I wanted. But that’s not the world I live in.
On this planet, Bama-Clemson being really entertaining is just about the best college football event you can hope for.
And, no matter how much we might like to see a new team get a shot, there’s a chance these two could produce a third instant classic in four years.