Although the College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T is a rematch from a year ago, both the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers have grown in the past 12 months, so the matchups have changed. There are key players who can make big plays on both sides of the ball, but some players look like more of a mismatch for their opponents than others.
Which matchups provide the biggest mismatches in the national title game?
1. Alabama DL Jonathan Allen vs. Clemson LG Taylor Hearn
Alabama's defensive front is a mismatch for any offensive line in the nation, but no individual matchup looks more one-sided than this one. Allen was PFF's second-highest graded player on the defensive interior in 2016, with a player grade of 92.7. Most of his snaps come on the right side, so he'll see a lot of Hearn, who had a player grade of just 47.7. Considering that Allen has done a lot of damage against better left guards than Hearn, it isn't unrealistic to think he might go out and put an exclamation point on one of the most dominant seasons we have seen from a defensive player. Allen comes into the game having recorded a tackle that resulted in a defensive stop on 12.4 percent of his run-defense snaps, and he has a pass-rushing productivity rating of 12.6, recording 9.5 sacks, 12 hits and 41 hurries on 403 pass-rushing snaps. Both ratings are fourth among players on the defensive interior this year.
2. Clemson DT Dexter Lawrence vs. Alabama OGs Ross Pierschbacher and Korren Kirven
If dealing with Allen is a huge problem for the Clemson interior offensive line, trying to slow Lawrence is an equally difficult task for the Alabama interior. Lawrence was our pick for freshman of the year this season, and his pass-rushing productivity rating of 12.6 is tied with Allen for fourth among players on the defensive interior. Lawrence racked up seven sacks, nine hits and 30 hurries from 291 pass-rushing snaps. The guards for Alabama have been the biggest issue on the offensive line. Pierschbacher's pass-blocking efficiency rating of 97.2 ranked 134th in the nation, and Kirven has struggled against the run since taking over as the team's starting right guard. With that in mind, it will be up to Bradley Bozeman, PFF's 11th-highest graded center, to help in dealing with the talented freshman.
3. Alabama's rushing attack vs. Clemson's run defense
One of the things that hasn't been talked about enough heading into this game is just how good the Alabama rushing attack is. Despite some struggles at guard, the running game has powered the offense this year, and though the Crimson Tide don't have one workhorse such as Dalvin Cook from Florida State, their combination of three talented running backs, along with what quarterback Jalen Hurts can do as a runner, will make life incredibly difficult for the Clemson defense. So far this year, the four runners have combined to force 134 missed tackles on 498 carries, which works out to a missed tackle once every 3.7 rushing attempts. Clemson's defense had some tackling issues throughout the year, missing an average of 9.1 tackles per game. That isn't the worst figure in the nation, but it is much worse than that of their opponents in this game, with Alabama missing just 5.1 tackles per game. Will those four extra missed tackles be the deciding factor here?
4. Alabama slot CB Minkah Fitzpatrick vs. Clemson WR Hunter Renfrow
Renfrow has caught four touchdowns from the slot this year, but fans shouldn't expect him to find much success in the national title game as he goes up against the best slot cornerback in the nation in Fitzpatrick. Renfrow has averaged 1.33 yards per route run from the slot in 2016, tied for 115th in the nation among the 187 wide receivers to run at least 135 routes from the slot. Along with Renfrow's struggles, what makes this so one-sided is Fitzpatrick's dominance this season. When lined up in the slot, Fitzpatrick has allowed an NFL passer rating of just 35.2 on passes into his coverage. He has allowed just 19 receptions for 238 yards, with no touchdowns and three interceptions from the slot this season, so Tigers QB Deshaun Watson would be wise to avoid going after him in coverage.
5. Alabama edge rusher Tim Williams vs. Clemson RT Sean Pollard
The final mismatch of the biggest game of the year once again comes on the Clemson offensive line, where Pollard faces his toughest test of the year in Williams. At just 43.7, Pollard is PFF's 656th-ranked offensive tackle this season, and in Williams, he goes about against the 20th-highest rated edge defender, at 86.8. Williams has produced a pass-rushing productivity rating of 18.0 this season, registering nine sacks, 10 hits and 35 hurries on 240 pass-rushing snaps. Pollard has allowed 18 total pressures on just 260 pass-blocking attempts, which gives him a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 94.7, good for 233rd in the nation. With Williams' ability to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, this is one matchup that is likely to favor Alabama in a big way.