Bookies Celebrate Clemson Cover, Though Saban Wins Again

Submitted by Don Shapiro on

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Don Shapiro

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All the talk is about Alabama Crimson head coach Nick Saban joining Bear Bryant as the only coaches in the history of the game to win at least five national championships.  But for bookies it was all about the Clemson Tigers managing to cover.

They did so as a +6.5 underdog with Alabama winning by five points.

It was a great game, but it was also an ugly one.

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"We didn't always play pretty in this game," Saban said Monday night after Alabama defeated Clemson 45-40 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T. "It probably wasn't one of our best games when it just comes to flat execution. But when it comes to competing and making plays when we needed to make them, it was probably as good as it gets."

Between 60 and 65 percent of the betting public was backing Alabama heading into Monday night’s National Championship game.

Alabama, meanwhile, was among the early favorites to win this year's College Football National Championship Game with 8-1 odds entering the season.

For Clemson, this was their first loss of the season.

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com

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