NEW ORLEANS—They have won two of the last three national championships. They entered the season as pre-season No. 1 and didn’t lose a game, extending their winning streak to 29 games.
But there are still non-believers who don’t believe the Clemson Tigers are good as the hype. When the ACC champions (14-0) play top-ranked LSU (14-0) here Monday night for the college football playoff championship at the Super Dome here, they will enter the game as six-point underdogs.
Forget about the fact that the Tigers just defeated previously undefeated Big Ten goliath Ohio State, 29-23, in the national semi-finals at the Fiesta Bowl.
When Clemson football had a close 21-20 call with North Carolina, the Tigers lost some unexpected the luster on their resume. At one point, they even dropped to fifth in the college football playoff’s first weekly rankings.
But here they are again, playing for a shot to replace Alabama as college football’s next dynasty.
This Clemson team dominated an average ACC this season, defeating overmatched Virginia, 55-13, in the league championship game, leading to speculation they didn’t have a signature win on their schedule. The Tigers reminded everyone who they were in the national semi-finals when they rallied for a 29-23 victory over previously unbeaten Big Ten behemoth, Ohio State, at the Fiesta Bowl.
“I think we passed that test,’’ Clemson sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence said.
Lawrence, who was the star of his team’s 44-16 championship blowout over Alabama last year, throwing for 347 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman, is 25-0 since becoming a starter. He is considered a next generation quarterback who is so good, rumors began to swirl he might consider forgoing his junior season to prep for the NFL because of the life changing money involved.
But Lawrence was quick to squash that notion. “I’ve never thought about sitting out,’’ he said. “I think it’s just people that don’t understand college football and what I came here to do. To be part of a school like Clemson and a team like this is very special to me. I wouldn’t throw that year away just to0 sit out in case of injury or whatever it might be.
“People don’t understand the position that we’re in, and it’s not about the money.’’
The matchup between Lawrence and LSU’s Joe Burrow could be the best quarterback matchup in college football’s championship game. The two players have combined to throw 91 touchdowns this season. Burrow completed 77.6 percent of his passes for 5,208 yards and rushed for another 311 yards and 4 touchdowns. Lawrence has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,431 yards and 36 touchdowns while rushing for 511 yards and eight touchdowns.
Burrow, the one-time transfer from Ohio State, won the Heisman Trophy by the widest margin ever and is the heavy favorite to be the first pick overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 draft. He needs just three touchdown passes to tie the FBS record of 58. Given the fact he threw seven in the first half of a 62-28 national semi-final victory over Oklahoma, he has a shot.
Lawrence, who was the highest rated quarterback prospect since Vince Young of Texas in 2002, has been perfect. He should enter next season as the co-favorite with Justin Field of Ohio State to win the Heisman Trophy and should be the No. 1 pick overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
This Clemson team may not be as good as last year’s national champions, particularly on the defensive line. But the ACC Tigers are good enough to make this a game. They have impact skill position players like running back Travis Etienne and wide out Tee Higgins; a Butkus Award linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who can be used as eraser on LSU’s most versatile running back Clyde Edward-Helaire; and a brilliant defensive mind in coordinator, Brett Venable, who will have two weeks to prepare for LSU’s machine like offense with different looks.
Clemson has coach Dabo Swinney is has been playing the lack of respect card with his players for the past month. Clemson has now tied the ACC record for consecutive victories, matching Florida State in 2012-2014. Not only that but the Tigers have the best record (69-4) in college football since 2015. Alabama is second at 66-6.
“It’s like everybody hating on the Patriots,’’ Clemson safety K’Von Wallace said. “People are tired of seeing consistent winners, they always want to see somebody who makes a miraculous turnaround in their program. They don’t want the same end of Clemson national champions, Clemson national championship.’’
A win in what is basically a road game would solidify Clemson’s claims as the best program in the sport, especially if they do it in a hostile, sold out stadium located just 60 miles away from LSU’s Baton Rouge campus.
Swinney has been telling his team to embrace the role of fictional Philadelphia heavyweight Rocky Balboa in his quest to defeat villainous Russian Ivan Drago in his home country in “Rocky IV.”
“Coach Swinney loves to compare us to Rocky movies. I guess he’s just the biggest Rocky fan,’’ Clemson offensive tackle Tremayne Anchrum said. “He said going to Louisiana is like going to Russia and we’re playing Drago.’’
LSU coach Ed Orgeron isn’t buying into the manufactured hype.
“I think those motivational tactics are for the other team. Obviously, he’s done a great job. I couldn’t tell you who those two guys (Balboa and Drago) are, to be honest with you. I just know this: It’s going to be an emotional night. When we run out of that tunnel, I think it’s going to be a hometown advantage. But we need to take care of it. We need to take advantage of it.’’
