The College Football Playoff doesn't produce the same prop bet hysteria that you'll see at the Super Bowl.

Most of the prop bets offered are straight-laced and based on game stats. A cursory search of a half-dozen online sportsbooks did not uncover anything like "What color Gatorade will get dumped on the winning coach?" or "How long will the national anthem last?"

Those are fun and entertaining bets. But Alabama-Clemson should be an excellent game that needs no frivolity. The last three national championship games involving the Tide were decided by 5, 4 and 3 points. And, arguably, these are the best Alabama and Clemson teams we've seen under Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney.

So the football game itself has a chance to be all-time great. And there are plenty of interesting angles to take on "strictly football" prop bets.

Here are a few of my favorites heading into Monday's national championship. All the listed market numbers were real posted lines as of Saturday morning.

Travis Etienne rushing yards over 85.5

Etienne has 11 different rushes of 30+ yards, second in the country to Memphis' Darrell Henderson. Alabama has allowed nine such runs, tied for 74th in the country. Giving up occasional explosive plays against the run is probably Alabama's biggest weakness on defense, and Etienne may be the fastest running back the Tide has faced all season. Etienne has produced games of 162, 122, 203, 167, 153, 150, 156 and 109 rushing yards this season and averages 8.3 yards per carry. He managed rushes of 75 and 62 yards in the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff semifinals. If he gets to the open field and reels off a long run or two, it will be relatively easy for him to go over 85 yards.

Tua Tagovailoa over 21.5 pass completions

Clemson ranks tied for third in the last 10 years in rushing yards per carry allowed at 2.4. The Tigers are the only FBS team to allow fewer than one yard per rush attempt before contact, according to Pro Football Focus. The defensive line is loaded with future NFL players as far as the three-deep on the depth chart. This is also a Clemson secondary that allowed South Carolina QB Jake Bentley to throw for 510 yards and 5 TDs. Nick Saban and Alabama's staff know all this, and should attack the Clemson secondary immediately and all game. Tagovailoa has completed more than 21 passes in just four games, but check out which ones: Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn and Oklahoma. I'd also expect a heavy dose of high-percentage throws as Alabama should give its athletic receivers a chance to run after the catch.

Damien Harris longest rush under 13.5 yards

I've already mentioned how good Clemson's defensive line has been at the point of attack, and my suspicion that Alabama's offensive game plan will involve a higher percentage of passing plays than usual. Harris has more than 3,000 career rushing yards and is one of the team's most important leaders and a fan favorite. But Najee Harris (12 carries, 109 yards) and Josh Jacobs (20 carries, 122 yards) both are proven entities in College Football Playoff games. Damien Harris rushed 13 times for 48 yards against a mediocre Oklahoma defense. His longest run in each of his six career College Football Playoff games: 2, 8, 13, 11, 6 and 11 yards. I don't think he'll get more than 10 carries against Clemson, and it's unlikely he busts out for a run of 14 or more.

57-63 points (+370), 64-70 points (+450)

As of Saturday morning, the betting total for this game is 58.5 points. I've already written why I like the over in the game despite the notoriously poor field at Levi's Stadium and rain in the area all weekend. But I'm not expecting both teams to score in the 40s, so I like the chances of the total finishing within this range of 57 to 70 points. If you were to wager $100 on each, and the game does finish within that target zone, you'd profit either $270 or $350 at the current market price. (A simple way to look at the numbers: +370 means you'd win $370 for every $100 you bet if you cash that ticket.)

Alabama by 1-3 points (+600), Alabama by 4-6 points (+800), Alabama by 7-10 points (+600)

If both teams play their best games, Alabama should win a close one. I'm on record saying I invested in Clemson +8 in early November and that smart money has backed Clemson since the game-week market opened at Clemson +7 or Clemson +6.5 during the Orange Bowl. I think Alabama has a 65 or 70 percent chance of winning, and I think it's highly likely that any Alabama win comes by 14 points or less. But I like these odds. If you were to bet $100 on all three of these outcomes, and Alabama wins by a margin between one and 10 points, you'd profit either $400 or $600. If Alabama loses or wins by more than 10 points, you'd lose $300. I think it's more likely Alabama wins by between 1 and 10 points, but let's say there's a 50 percent chance you win and a 50 percent chance you lose. That's still a positive expected value, because when you win, you profit more than $300.

Team to score first: Alabama -145

Alabama has scored a touchdown on its first offensive possession in 11 of 14 games. Betting on Alabama to cover first-half spreads was incredibly profitable this year. Clemson has scored on its first offensive possession in five of 14 games, including four touchdowns and one field goal. The Tigers have crushed teams in the second half. We already saw Oklahoma defer after winning the coin toss, and there's a chance Alabama will get the ball first. The Tide have been so lethal on opening drives that I'd put my money on Alabama, even needing to bet $145 to win $100.

Christopher Smith is a professional handicapper. He's the founder of Sports Locksmith and also works full-time for MyBookie out of Costa Rica.