Alabama Football faces a familiar foe in the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Santa Clara on Monday night.
For the fourth year in a row, Alabama and Clemson meet in the College Football Playoff, with this marking the third time in four years the two teams have met with the national championship up for grabs.
The two previous title games were instant classics, with this one promising to be another. Alabama took home the 2015 CFP title by holding off Deshaun Watson and the Tigers 45-40, thanks in large part to two huge special teams plays.
The two met again for the crown the next season, with Watson exacting his revenge by hitting Hunter Renfrow for a game-winning touchdown with just one second on the clock, allowing Clemson to hoist the trophy with a 35-31 win.
Last season marked the third straight season the two met in the playoff, this time in the semifinals at the Sugar Bowl. Alabama rolled to a mostly innocuous 24-6 victory, with the Tigers struggling to put together much of an offense behind Kelly Bryant.
The offensive struggles aren’t likely to repeat themselves as Clemson boasts one of the nation’s best offenses led by freshman wunderkind Trevor Lawrence under center. Lawrence picked apart Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, showing he was unafraid of the big stage. Lawrence topped 300 yards passing with three touchdowns and no turnovers as Clemson rolled to 14-0 as they were never seriously challenged by the overmatched Fighting Irish.
Alabama brings an offense more equipped to do damage against a stout Clemson defense this time as well, with Jalen Hurts being usurped by sophomore Heisman runner-up Tua Tagovailoa. Tua sprained his ankle on the fourth play of the SEC Championship win over Georgia, and his status for the Orange Bowl semifinal against Oklahoma was largely up in the air.
While Tua admitted to not being 100 percent, he torched a beleaguered Oklahoma defense for 318 yards and four touchdowns, setting an Orange Bowl record for completion percentage in the process. Tua led Alabama to a dominant start, with the Crimson Tide racing out to a 28-0 lead, and then coasting to the 45-34 win with the game never in doubt.
Clemson’s defense presents much more of a challenge for Alabama’s high-powered offense that faced little to no resistance against the Sooners. The same can be said for Clemson, as previously unbeaten Notre Dame was outclassed in every facet of the game, looking smaller and slower than the titans from the ACC.
This entire season has felt like little more than a prequel to Alabama and Clemson meeting again for a national championship. This title game has felt inevitable throughout the season as the Crimson Tide and Tigers separated themselves from the pack, inching head-and-shoulders ahead of the rest of college football.
Some viewers are frustrated and tired of seeing the same two teams battle for the championship, much like four straight NBA Finals matchups between the Warriors and Cavaliers soured viewers. But these are the two best teams, and unlike the Warriors and Cavs, where a Golden State win always felt inevitable save for the one incredible Cleveland upset, this game truly feels like a toss-up once again.
Alabama and Clemson have been the preeminent college football programs over the last several years, and they’ll collide in Santa Clara with the winner becoming the first 15-0 national champion.
If this iteration is anything like the previous two title games, we are in for a treat.
Here are five bold predictions as we get ready for the championship game: