The final game of the season takes place tonight as the University of Alabama battles undefeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
But some citizens in the city of Pelham are having a tough time on who to cheer for. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney grew up in the town just south of Birmingham.
Ricky Hayes has known Swinney all of his life. He’ll be rooting for Dabo and he expects many in Pelham are having a tough time with this decision as well…
“There’s an awful lot of Clemson fans in Pelham that have been built up over the year some have been that way for a long time. There’s an awful lot of Crimson in this town by all means. This is an Alabama town and we love the Tide there’s no doubt about it. And I will forever be an Alabama fan.”
Hayes says while Pelham is deeply rooted with Alabama ties, many plan on rooting for Swinney when the game kicks off at 7:30 tonight in Glendale, Arizona.
An Alabama based shoe store chain is betting on a Crimson Tide victory in tonight’s college football championship game against Clemson.
The Shoe Station chain has pre-ordered three thousand t-shirts proclaiming Alabama the national champs. Once the final whistle blows, and the Tide wins, the company’s eight stores around the state will re-open for an hour or until the shirts run out.
Shoe Station Chief Operating officer Brent Barkin says if Clemson wins the game, his company won’t try to sell their shirts as collectors’ items in South Carolina…
“We’re not going to try to profit from an Alabama loss. We’ll do what’s right, we’ll box them up, they’ll give them to charity, and every so often, I’m sure, if a box falls off the truck, someone might be able to find one of those shirts.”
The men’s shirt has a crimson football helmet on it. The ladies style has the number sixteen with an elephant pattern in the background.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox and Clemson, South Carolina Mayor J. C. Cook have made a friendly wager for the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
If the Alabama wins, Cook will wear a Bama tie to the following Clemson City Council meeting. Cook will also donate $100 to the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative.
If the Clemson wins, Maddox will wear a Clemson tie to the following Tuscaloosa City Council meeting. Maddox also will donate $100 to the Clemson Community Foundation
This will be Maddox’s third wager of the football season, raising $150 so far for the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative. He won wagers against the mayors of Auburn and Michigan State.