Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said he'll be rooting for Clemson when the Tigers take on Alabama in the championship game of the College Football Playoff on Jan. 11.

Newton won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 as the quarterback for Alabama rival Auburn and has a personal relationship with Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Newton was asked about Watson and the CFP title game during a press conference after leading the Panthers to a 38-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the final Sunday of the 2015 NFL regular season.

"I'm rooting for those guys, obviously," Newton said. "With me analyzing his game, especially with me being able to play both Clemson and Alabama - What? Six years ago? (whistles) Golly, getting old, man. But the teams that give Alabama fits have mobile quarterbacks, and I think Deshaun is right for being a person that can be the kryptonite to Alabama."

In November, Newton said he planned to cast his Heisman Trophy vote for Watson. The Clemson quarterback finished third in the balloting for college football's most prestigious award, which went to Alabama running back Derrick Henry for the 2015 season.

Watson played on Newton's 7-on-7 all-star team as a teenager, and Newton has referred to him as his "little brother."

Newton led Auburn to victories over Clemson and Alabama during the 2010 season.

In Newton's third game for Auburn, the Tigers defeated Clemson 27-24 in overtime on Sept. 18, 2010. Newton completed 7-of-14 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, including a 78-yarder to Terrell Zachery in Auburn's 21-point third quarter as the Tigers rallied from a 17-3 halftime deficit.

Clemson's Chandler Catanzaro, now the place-kicker for the Arizona Cardinals, missed a 32-yard field goal in the first overtime that would have kept the game going.

On Nov. 26, 2010, Newton led No. 2 Auburn to a 28-27 victory over No. 9 Alabama in the Iron Bowl. The Tigers trailed 24-0 in the second quarter, but Newton came through with three touchdown passes and a TD run against the Crimson Tide. The victory propelled Auburn to the SEC Championship Game, where the Tigers routed South Carolina 56-17. Auburn then completed an undefeated season by beating Oregon 22-19 in the BCS title game.

Alabama and Clemson square off in the second CFP title game at 7:30 p.m. CST Jan. 11 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Watson has completed 303-of-444 passes for 3,699 yards and 31 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and rushed 187 times for 1,032 yards and 12 touchdowns in leading Clemson to a 14-0 record this season.

In 2010, when he led Auburn to a 14-0 record, Newton completed 185-of-280 passes for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns with seven interceptions and rushed 264 times for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns.

On Sunday, the Panthers wrapped up the regular season with the NFL's best record at 15-1 by beating Tampa Bay. Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more to cap his MVP-caliber season.

In his fifth NFL season, Newton was 296-for-496 passing for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. His passing-efficiency rating of 99.2 was the best of his career. Newton also ran 132 times for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Carolina's record earned the top seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye in the postseason. The Panthers play at 12:05 p.m. Jan. 17 in a game that will be televised by FOX.

Carolina's opponent will be determined in the wild-card round. The Seattle Seahawks visit the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers visit the Washington Redskins on Sunday in the NFC playoffs' first round. The Panthers will play the team with the worst seed from the winners of those games.

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