Alabama players felt like they were making history when they ended the season unbeaten and beat Ohio State 52-24 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship hosted by AT&T.
“I think we’re the best team that’s ever played,” said Alabama’s fullback Mac Jones.
Jones, who threw more than 4,000 yards during the season and won the Davey O’Brien Award for the country’s best QB, calls the team’s 10 game, the all-SEC schedule for the regular season.
The league accepted the conference-only lead in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no team that will ever play such an SEC schedule again,” Jones said. “At the same time, we’re just so glad we won this game and put that kind of cherry on the cake.”
Alabama defensive lineman Christian Barmore, who was named the defending MVP after concluding the championship game with one bag and two tackles for loss, agrees with his quarterback’s assessment.
“Yeah, we’re really the best team because we worked hard,” Barmore said. “We did not hear the outside noise. We ignored the COVID stuff. We just worked hard together. We just struggled for it, camp, scratch, everything.”
Alabama started third in the Associated Press Preseason Poll this season, but quickly said it was the best team in college football, beating the top-10 programs Georgia and Texas A&M in the first four weeks of the season .
The Crimson Tide then took the table and finished in November 22 and finished second in Florida in second place in the SEC Championship game to clinch the top seed in the playoffs.
In the CFP semifinal, Alabama beat Notre Dame by 17 points.
In the national title game, Alabama gave Ohio State the only loss of the season.
The tide’s defense had its pros and cons, but the offense was fruitful.
Najee Harris rushed 1,466 meters and won the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the country’s leading runners.
DeVonta Smith received 117 passes for 23 touchdowns and is the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 years.
Overall, Alabama averaged 48.5 points and 541.6 yards per game.
And while Alabama coach Nick Saban has avoided any direct comparisons to other programs, he has not hesitated to place this Alabama team within the context of the five other Alabama teams he has led to national championships.
“No respect for other teams we’ve had, or for any championship teams, but this team has won 11 SEC games,” Saban said. “No other team did that. They won the SEC, lost to the SEC, and then beat two big teams in the playoffs without a break.
“This is our fifth game in a row, from LSU to Arkansas to Florida to Notre Dame to here. 13 games played, went unbeaten with all the disruption we’ve had this season. I think there’s quite a bit to rewrite when it comes to the legacy of the team. ‘