CFP Championship Game Betting Preview

The college football season comes to a close Monday night as the Clemson Tigers and LSU Tigers battle it out in a catfight for the national title.

At Bovada Sportsbook, LSU is a 6.5-point favorite in the game, which will be played at the Superdome in New Orleans.

LSU advanced to the championship game for the first time under the current playoff format by defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in the Peach Bowl by a score of 63-28 as a 12.5-point favorite. The win was LSU’s 15th straight; the team is 10-3-2 ATS during the streak.

LSU favored by 6.5 over Clemson in title game

As a favorite, LSU has lived up to the billing lately, winning 17 straight with a 10-5-2 record ATS. In the month of January, LSU is 5-3 SU and 4-3-1 ATS in its last eight games. When favored in January, LSU is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five.

Clemson will be playing in its fourth national title game in the last five years. Clemson booked its ticket this year with a 29-23 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl as a 2.5-point favorite.

Clemson is on a lengthy 29-game winning streak, during which it is 20-9 ATS. In January, Clemson is 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five, but only 4-7 SU and 6-5 ATS in its last 11. As an underdog, Clemson has been a strong bet at 4-1 SU and ATS in its last five, and 8-1 ATS in the last nine.

Favorites haven’t fared well in CFP championship

In last year’s national championship game, Clemson upset the Alabama Crimson Tide 44-16 as a 5-point underdog. In its previous three appearances in the title game under the playoff format, Clemson is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS, with both SU wins coming as the underdog.

Clemson and LSU last met up in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl when Clemson edged LSU 25-24 as a 6.5-point underdog.

Since college football adopted the playoff system to declare the national champion, the favorites haven’t fared very well, especially for bettors. In five national title games under the playoff format, the favorite is 2-3 SU and 0-4-1 ATS.