Jan 04, 2016 03:58 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Clemson University's spring semester will limit the practice time for the Tigers football team as they prepare for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

On the other hand, the University of Alabama's new semester will allow for the Crimson Tide to have unlimited practice time.

According to ESPN, Alabama's team activities will not be subject to a limit because the school's spring semester does not start until Jan. 13, two days after the CFP title game. Clemson's spring semester starts on Wednesday, so the Tigers will not be allowed to practice more than four hours a day starting then.

This was the case last year as well, where Ohio State had no practice limits because of its spring semester and Oregon did. Like Oregon did last year, Clemson plans to accept the practice limits, a spokesperson for the ACC confirmed to ESPN.

Despite finishing its season undefeated and ranked the consensus number-one team in the nation, Clemson is not favored to win for the second time in the playoff. The spread gave Oklahoma a slight advantage in the Orange Bowl semifinal, though Clemson wound up winning by 20.

Now, the spread favors Alabama by seven points, a surprising margin for a national title game between the nation's top two teams. The spread also continues Alabama's streak of never being the underdog in any game since the 2009 SEC Championship, AL.com noted.

Clemson has thrived while being doubted in spite of their record, but Alabama has an advantage its opponent does not, and it is not related to the sheer amount of practice the team is allowed.

"I would say the one thing that was advantageous to us was we weren't worried about getting a new syllabus or shaking a professor's hand and trying to figure things out for a semester," Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry told ESPN. "Is that a huge advantage? No, because you go the whole season doing the same thing anyway. You're in class and you've got to game plan."

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