No.1 Alabama and Ohio State No. 4 did business in their respective national semifinals and will play it off on January 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, for the College Football Playoff National Championship. It’s a rematch with their classic Sugar Bowl national semi-final after the 2014 season – the first under the four-team play-off format.
The Crimson Tide is undergoing a thorough dismantling of no. 3, 31-14, Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Mac Jones – both Heisman Trophy finalists – led to an offense that played 437 yards and 7.9 yards per game against a solid Irish defense. This will be the Tide’s fifth national title race in six years.
The Buckeyes will make their first title game since being in the title game Alabama in the semifinals and Oregon in the title game after the 2014 season. The emphatic 49-28 victory over Clemson, no. 2, was led by Justin Fields (quarterback), and his sixth Bowl record of the Sugar Bowl record.
No. 1 Alabama (12-0), Rose Bowl Champion
The beauty of this year’s Alabama group is that it can win in virtually every possible way. Notre Dame chose to sit back and play a lot of zones, which allowed Jones to look down quite a bit and allow his playmakers to get meters to catches. If the state of Ohio prefers to play tight and take it away, it will open up for Smith and John Metchie III to go deep and produce the explosive plays that have become synonymous with Tide football. The loss of center Landon Dickerson was apparently not a big problem against the Irish, but expects the state of Ohio to build up pressure in various ways to test an offense in Alabama that won the Joe Moore award at the country’s top OL -unit.
Alabama’s defense has become more powerful as the season progresses. It allowed just 3.7 yards per rush to Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, preventing quarterback Ian Book from playing – a key step in the Irish offense. Coach Nick Saban and defense coordinator Pete Golding did a tremendous job of putting pressure on in a variety of ways, enabling the offense to dictate opponents’ high-octane style.
Nr. 3 Ohio State (7-0), Sugar Bowl Champion
It is fair to say that the Buckeyes took the controversy over his CFP worthwhile. Clemson’s dismantling in the Sugar Bowl has been just as emphatic as any major victory in Ohio State since the title game in 2014. Quarterback Justin Fields hurt his waist in the second quarter, but the junior star does not appear to be facing double threat. do not have. He could move in the pocket throughout the game and strike deep into the field, and it is reasonable to assume that he would be good to go 11 days from now. The return of a healthy Chris Olave has made a huge difference for the Buckeyes, who now have a trio of offensive weapons in Olave, co-WR Garrett Wilson and Trey Sermon.
The Buckeyes found their identity in Game 7 of the 2020 season – just in time for the natty in Game 8 … but what about the defense? Lawrence and the Tigers did move up and down the field on Friday, which does nothing good against an Alabama team that is the most dangerous offense in college football. Styles, however, make fights. The Ohio State’s style is set to kick off in South Florida next Monday night.
Alabama vs. Ohio State early selection, predictions
It’s one thing to debate Ohio State’s resume, but it’s another thing to debate that it’s the overall title worthiness. They have proven themselves worthy of the title against Clemson and will conclude a title game against Alabama. The Buckeyes offense has grown over the course of the season and that will give Fields enough time to do his job against the tide defense. The defense has historically struggled against mobile quarterbacks working on pace-based systems. Watch: Ole Miss earlier this year. There are an abundance of points at Hard Rock Stadium with Fields avenging last season’s playoff game by claiming college football’s final prize in what should be his last game before heading to the NFL. Select: Ohio State +7