I’ll take the criticism. I think Clemson is a tier above Bama this season. OSU might be up there with them, but I’ll need more evidence.
I’m not sold on Mac Jones. He has sick weapons, for sure. He’s not terrible. He’s just not Lawrence or Fields. Bama also has issues on defense (and so does most everyone else, which was part of my point).
Just my opinion.
I'm a Clemson grad, but at this moment I think Clemson, Bama, and Ohio State are all on the same tier, and I'm honestly the most worried about Ohio State as I feel they are the most talented team on both sides. Bama has maybe the best offense, though I'm not sure how bad the Waddle injury effects them.
Clemson had a down day today against Syracuse. These seem to happen to Clemson every year where they play down to an opponent, but there are legitimate concerns about them as a national championship contender. The offensive line has had a lot of issues with run blocking, and Etienne's rushing numbers are down this year compared to prior years. Also the secondary is still very young and prong to busts in coverage, so that could really bite them once they play elite teams.
Bama is still working through defensive issues, but you have to imagine by the end of the year they'll have those fixed and at least be a top 20 defense. With their caliber offense due to the oline and weapons, a mediocre defense can win a championship.
Ohio State is probably elite on both sides of the ball, but they just started playing so it will take a few weeks to see how good they really are, though I expect them to be likely the best team.