Alabama Crimson Tide Gets More Practice Than Clemson Tigers Ahead National Championship Game

Alabama will have one decided advantage over Clemson heading in to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 11: they get more time to practice. It's not their fault, though (we'll explore more of that later), it's just how it worked out.

You see, Alabama doesn't begin its spring semester until Jan. 13, two days after the title game. Consequently, they aren't limited by the NCAA's 20-hour rule, a rule that limits how much time a team can practice in a given week. Comparatively, Clemson begins its spring semester on Jan. 6. Up until then, their practice time isn't limited. However, from Jan. 6 on, Clemson will have to squeeze meetings, practices, weight lifting, and any other "team" related functions (the all you can eat buffet counts too, if the coaches are present) into the NCAA regulated maximum of 4 hours per day.

It all raises an interesting conspiracy theory type question: did the University of Alabama do this on purpose? Could they have pushed back the holiday break just in case their beloved football team made it all the way to the national championship? You know, plan their entire school functions, activities, and classes around the idea that they were going to make the national championship game? Simply put, yes, yes they did. This is Alabama we're talking about. Anything outside of a national championship is considered a failure. They will do anything to give their team an advantage to win college football's most coveted prize.

Of course, this is all speculation. It's no more factually backed than saying a Snickers bar is good for you because it makes you feel all warm and cozy inside. And yet, one can't help but think the placement of the game made some small sort of impact on the schools decision to begin its spring semester on Jan. 13.

Any who, let's get hyped!