LSU Opens as 3-Point Favorite Over Clemson in CFP National Championship

LSU opened as 3-point favorites over Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Saturday, according to ESPN's David Purdum.

The national-title line settled at LSU -5 by the end of Saturday night, per Purdum. 

Joe Burrow and the Tigers sprinted past Oklahoma in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, shredding the Sooners in a 63-28 victory. Burrow threw seven touchdowns in the first half before finishing the night with 493 passing yards.

Clemson faced a tougher road to the National Championship on Saturday. Dabo Swinney's squad fell into a 16-0 hole in the second quarter, but Clemson took a lead it wouldn't relinquish with a 34-yard touchdown from Trevor Lawrence to Travis Etienne with 1:49 left in regulation. Clemson has now made the national title game four times since 2015. 

Favorites are 2–3 in College Football Playoff title games. Clemson defeated Alabama for the 2018 title despite entering the game as an underdog.

LSU is seeking its first championship in the College Football Playoff era. Its last national title came under Les Miles in 2007. 

Clemson has been a national powerhouse since the CFP began in 2014. Swinney and Co. won the national championship in 2016 and 2019, and they lost the title game to the Crimson Tide in 2015 and 2017.

The College Football Playoff National Championship will be played on Jan. 13. Kickoff from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans is slated for 8 p.m. ET.