While Ohio State proved its many doubters wrong by upsetting Clemson in one College Football Playoff semifinal, it’s no surprise who the Buckeyes will be facing in the national championship game.
As the No. 1 seed in this year’s CFP, Alabama did what it was supposed to against Notre Dame, beating the Fighting Irish 31-14 to win the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl.
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Now, Alabama is set to play in its eighth national championship game in a 12-year span.
While many of Nick Saban’s previous national champion or finalist teams have been known for their stout defenses, this year’s Crimson Tide have been an offensive juggernaut. All around, though, Alabama has been the most dominant team in college football this season, bringing a 12-0 record – including 10 wins by at least 17 points – into the final Football Bowl Subdivision game of the year.
What’s made the Crimson Tide so good this season, and where might Alabama be vulnerable in next Monday’s national championship battle with the Buckeyes? It’s time to take a closer look at Ohio State’s final opponent of the season.
Heisman frontrunners lead passing attack
DeVonta Smith could become the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard in 1991. If he doesn’t, the trophy will likely go to his quarterback.
Smith is currently the heavy favorite in betting odds to win the Heisman, getting -500 odds (per Bovada) to be awarded the trophy on Tuesday, after a spectacular season in which he has caught 105 passes for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns, leading the FBS in all three categories.
Jones sits second in the Heisman betting odds at +400, having completed an FBS-best 77 percent of his passes this season for 4,036 yards and 36 touchdowns. He leads the nation in passing yards per attempt (11.3) and passing efficiency (203.0).
With those two leading the way, Ohio State’s passing defense – which is ranked 116th nationally with more than 281 passing yards allowed per game – will face an even tougher test than it did against Clemson. The Crimson Tide, who rank fifth in the FBS in passing yards per game, lost their second-best receiver early in the season when Jaylen Waddle went down with an ankle injury, but Smith is the best receiver in college football while John Metchie III (47 catches for 835 yards and six touchdowns) is also a major downfield weapon.
The nation’s best running back, too
As good as Smith, Jones and the rest of Alabama’s passing offense are, you can’t overcommit to defending the pass against the Crimson Tide. If you do, Najee Harris will make you pay.
A consensus All-American this season and the fifth-place finisher in Heisman voting, Harris leads the FBS with 24 rushing touchdowns and has averaged more than six yards per carry, gaining 1,387 yards on 229 attempts. He’s also been a receiving threat out of the backfield, catching 36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns.
The No. 2 overall prospect in the recruiting class of 2017, Harris has been the player he was supposed to be at Alabama, emerging as college football’s best running back this season. At 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, Harris has excellent athleticism for his size – just watch his hurdle over Notre Dame cornerback Nick McCloud in the Rose Bowl – and also runs with great power, meaning Ohio State’s tackling will need to be on point.
THIS NAJEE HARRIS HURDLE #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/3qiYJq9wPi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 1, 2021
Ohio State’s run defense has been excellent this season, ranking second in the FBS with only 89.1 rushing yards allowed per game, but Harris and the excellent offensive line he has blocking in front of him will be the toughest test the Buckeyes have faced against the run all season.
Defense has struggled against top offenses
Alabama’s defense has been solid in most of its games this year. The Crimson Tide have held opponents to 24 points or fewer in 10 of its 12 games, and ranks 13th in the FBS with only 19 points allowed per game.
Against the two top-10 offenses Alabama has faced this year, however, the Crimson Tide’s defense has been exposed.
In Alabama’s third game of the season against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide gave up 48 points on 647 yards, including 379 passing yards and 268 rushing yards. And in the SEC Championship Game against Florida, the Crimson Tide gave up 46 points on 462 yards, including 408 passing yards.
Ohio State’s offense, ranked fourth in the FBS in total yards per game (544.9) and tied for fifth in points per game (43.4), is even better than both of those offenses, especially if Justin Fields, Trey Sermon and the Buckeyes play like they did against Clemson. So there’s reason for confidence that the Buckeyes will have another big night offensively against Alabama.
All-Americans all over the field
We’ve already talked about three of Alabama’s All-Americans – Smith, Jones and Harris are all consensus All-Americans – and they’re not the only ones.
The Crimson Tide will be without one of their consensus All-Americans for the national championship game, center Landon Dickerson, after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the SEC Championship Game. They still have another consensus All-American on their offensive line, though, in left tackle Alex Leatherwood.
Patrick Surtain II, the Crimson Tide’s top cornerback, is also a consensus All-American this year, while two other defenders – linebacker Dylan Moses (AFCA) and defensive end Christian Barmore (CBS Sports) – have also been named first-team All-Americans by at least one entity. Kicker Will Reichard was also named as a first-team All-American by CBS Sports.
Patrick Surtain II is one of college football's top cornerbacks. (Photo: Jasen Vinlove – USA TODAY Sports)
All of them (expect Reichard) were joined on this year’s All-SEC first team by left guard Deonte Brown. Linebacker Christopher Allen and defensive back Malachi Moore also earned second-team All-SEC honors, though Moore did not play against Notre Dame due to injury.
A winning track record in the big game
As aforementioned, the Crimson Tide have already been to the national championship game seven times since Saban became Alabama’s head coach. Even more impressively, Alabama has won five of those seven games.
| Season | Result |
|---|---|
| 2009 | ALABAMA 37, TEXAS 21 |
| 2011 | ALABAMA 21, LSU 0 |
| 2012 | ALABAMA 42, NOTRE DAME 14 |
| 2015 | ALABAMA 45, CLEMSON 40 |
| 2016 | CLEMSON 35, ALABAMA 31 |
| 2017 | ALABAMA 26, GEORGIA 23 |
| 2018 | CLEMSON 44, ALABAMA 16 |
Saban won his first national championship with the Crimson Tide (after already winning one at LSU) in 2009. The Crimson Tide won the national championship to conclude the 2011, 2012 and 2015 seasons, too. Alabama’s only two losses in the national title game have come against Clemson, in 2017 and 2019, and the Crimson Tide won the 2018 national championship in between.
That means the Crimson Tide’s seniors have already been a part of a national championship-winning team, and no coach has proven he can win the big game more than Saban. In the same span Alabama has won five national championships, Clemson is the only other team that’s even won two.
That said, Ohio State will have a chance to join Alabama and Clemson as a two-time national champion in the CFP era next Monday. And the Buckeyes have won their only previous CFP matchup against the Crimson Tide, beating Alabama in the playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl en route to winning the first-ever College Football Playoff.
