Bama -6.5 vs. Clemson; Kiffin out and Sark in at OC

Lane Kiffin has left Alabama for FAU and Steve Sarkisian will call the offensive plays vs. Clemson.

Published on Tuesday, 1/3/17, at 11:26 a.m. Eastern.

The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened Alabama as a 6.5-point favorite vs. Clemson for Monday’s CFP finals showdown in Tampa. The number hasn’t budged since then.

The Westgate sent the total out at 52 points on New Year’s Day. It has now dropped to 51, although there are still a lot of betting shops at 51.5.

Most spots have Alabama at -240 on the money line, leaving the Tigers are +200 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $200).

For first-half wagers, the Crimson Tide is favored by 3.5 points.

This is a rematch of last year’s national-title game in Glendale, where Alabama captured a 45-40 win in an instant classic. However, Deshaun Watson’s touchdowns pass with 12 seconds gave Clemson supporters a backdoor cover as a 6.5-point underdog.

Both teams won comfortably in the semifinals. Nick Saban’s team won a 24-7 decision over Washington as a 13.5-point favorite at The Peach Bowl in Atlanta at the Ga. Dome. Meanwhile, Clemson dealt out cream-cheese treatment to Ohio St. by a 31-0 score as a 1.5-point underdog.

On Monday, somewhat surprising news filtered out when Saban announced that Lane Kiffin would be relieved of his offensive-coordinator duties immediately to take over as the head coach at Florida Atlantic. Kiffin accepted the new gig a few weeks ago, but he was going to coach out the rest of the season at Alabama.

The majority of people, including myself, thought Kiffin called a horrible game against the Huskies. Saban clearly agreed with that notion.

Steve Sarkisian has already been named the new OC and will take over those duties vs. Clemson. Sarkisian is the former head coach at Washington and USC, where he was fired last season after several episodes in which fellow coaches and players smelled alcohol on his breath while at work.

You can follow all the line moves for Alabama-Clemson here.

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