Over the past century, only Michigan has won more football games than Ohio State and Alabama, and only one victory separates Buckeyes and Crimson Tide.
Ohio State has won 929 games; Alabama won 928. Crimson Tide has 15 national championships, while Buckeyes have won eight.
On January 11, the state of Ohio and Alabama will meet only for the fifth time in their stories – this time at the College Football Playoff National Championship (8 pm Eastern Time, ESPN / ESPN App) presented by AT&T at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide defeated No. 4 Notre Dame, 31-14, in a CFP semifinal in The Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One. Ohio No. 3 surprised No. 2 Clemson 49-28 on Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The Buckeyes won their last game against Crimson Tide, a 42-35 victory at the Sugar Bowl in 2015.
Here is everything you need to know about the CFP 2021 National Championship.
How Alabama Got Here: Playing an exclusive conference schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic, Crimson Tide became the first team in SEC history to go 10-0 against opponents of the conference during the regular season. It was Tide’s fifth undefeated regular season under Nick Saban. Alabama won each of its 10 regular season games by 15 points or more (seven by four touchdowns or more), including a 28-point rout from the then No. 13 Texas A&M, 17 points over No. 3 Georgia and 29 points on No. 22 Auburn. Alabama’s toughest test was a 52-46 victory over Florida No. 7 in the SEC championship game, in which the Gators scored 29 points in the second half and accumulated 462 attack yards to almost overcome an 18-point deficit. . The tide improved to 5-1 in the CFP semifinal games, with victory over Notre Dame on Friday.
Alabama offensive player to watch: WR DeVonta Smith. The senior is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and this week became the first wide receiver to win the best AP college football player of the year since the award was established in 1998. In the six games before the CFP semifinal, Smith had 53 receptions for 955 yards with 13 touchdowns, totaling 199 yards with a touchdown in eight punt returns. In the first 11 games, Smith was responsible for 768 of his 1,511 yards received after receiving.
Alabama defensive player to watch: CB Patrick Surtain II. The junior was the best cornerback of Pro Football Focus on FBS going to the Rose Bowl and was the number 10 defensive player overall, with a score of 87.0 in the first 11 games. According to the PFF, Smith had a degree of coverage of 86.3, which came in sixth on FBS and second on Power 5. Before facing Fighting Irish, Surtain allowed only 18 conclusions on 43 targets in 460 snaps at total. It allowed for one conclusion every 24.2 clicks, which ranked third among FBS players.
Combat that favors the Crimson Tide: Alabama wide receivers versus Ohio state secondary. Even without the injured Jaylen Waddle, Tide’s group of recipients is a nightmare for any team. The Buckeyes resisted Clemson’s fine receiver body well, but came in last in the Big Ten in defense of passes in the first six games, allowing 261.3 yards per game. The Buckeyes did a good job of getting Amari Rodgers out of Clemson, but Tide has more weapons.
Individual combat to watch: Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding vs. Ohio State QB Justin Fields. Fields set up the game of his life against Clemson at the Sugar Bowl, shooting for 385 yards with six touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ impressive rout. Fields looked confused in previous games against Indiana and Northwestern, when he combined to launch five interceptions and was fired eight times. He was practically perfect in every other game. Golding has been criticized for the inconsistent Alabama defense game, and he will have to come up with a solid game plan to put pressure on Fields.
Alabama X Factor: K Will Reichard. In the past, Alabama fans held their collective breath when Tide’s kicker took the field in the postseason. Not this season. Reichard, a sophomore from Hoover, Alabama, was a perfect 12-to-12 in field goals, including a 52-yard game against Georgia, and 73-to-73 with extra points in the first 11 games. He is a finalist for the Lou Groza Award.
Alabama will win if: Tide’s offensive line protects Mac Jones. Alabama’s offensive line is very good, led by tackle Alex Leatherwood and point guard Deonte Brown. If Tide can protect Jones and give him time in his pocket, he will probably do what he did all season. His 3,739 passing yards were the majority of an Alabama quarterback in the first 11 games, and he was completing 75.6% of his attempts with 32 touchdowns and four interceptions.
What’s at stake for Alabama: Alabama is aiming for its 16th national championship, the largest in the AP poll era, and the second most in college football history. Yale won 18 national titles from 1874 to 1927. Saban would win his seventh national title in the past 16 years, including six in Alabama. His seven national titles (he won one at LSU in 2003) would take him out of a tie with legendary Tide coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, mostly by a coach in college football history.
How the state of Ohio got here: The Buckeyes didn’t start until October 24, after the Big Ten delayed the start of the season because of concerns over COVID-19. Ohio State defeated two ranked teams during the regular season: then-No. 18 Penn State 38-25 on the road on October 31 and then on. 9 Indiana 42-35 at home on November 21. Three Ohio State regular season games were canceled because of problems with the coronavirus. The Big Ten voted on December 9 to change its policy that teams had to play six games to be eligible for the conference championship game. Despite not having 22 players, including main receiver Chris Olave and linebacker Baron Browning, the Buckeyes defeated then-No. 14 Northwestern 22-10 in the Big Ten championship game to win their fourth consecutive league title.
Ohio state offensive player to watch: While defender Justin Fields is the transfer that gets the most attention for the Buckeyes, running back Trey Sermon, who played for Oklahoma the previous three seasons, is just as important. The transfer of graduation from Marietta, Georgia, carried the load in the last three games of the state of Ohio. He ran 112 yards with a touchdown in the 52-12 win over Michigan State in the last game of the Buckeyes regular season, then had a school record of 331 yards with two scores out of 29 charged against Northwestern in the Big Ten game. He broke the OSU single game record of 314 yards set by Eddie George against Illinois in 1995, and his accelerated total was the largest in a game for the conference title. Sermon had 112 yards in 17 races in the first half with Mestre Teague on the sidelines. According to ESPN’s survey of statistics and information, Sermon has run 524 yards in the past two games, the maximum in a two-game stretch by an OSU player in history.
Ohio State Defensive Player to Watch: Ohio State LB Pete Werner. He was the Buckeyes ‘main striker towards the CFP semifinals and was instrumental in taking down Travis Etienne, the Tigers’ rear. Werner changed the linebacker from outside to inside this season and had 37 tackles, 2 ½ tackles for defeat and a sack in the first six games. He is very good at covering against tight end and running backs and will be important in trying to slow Alabama’s Najee Harris.
Matchup that favors Buckeyes: Ohio State DT Haskell Garrett vs. Alabama C Chris Owens. Garrett was shot in the face and spent two days in the hospital in early September. The Las Vegas senior did not have medical clearance to play this season until just four days before his debut. He emerged as one of the best inland strikers in the country with 17 tackles, 4 tackles for defeat, 2 sacks and 1 interception in the first six games. According to Pro Football Focus, Garrett was the top-scoring defensive striker on the FBS with a score of 92.1 before the CFP semifinals. Owens was pushed into the starting lineup when titleholder Landon Dickerson tore his ACL against Florida in the SEC championship game.
Individual combat to watch: Ohio State CB Shaun Wade vs. Alabama WR DeVonta Smith. Wade chose to leave the season to prepare for the NFL draft, but changed his mind and was the leader of the OSU secondary. Kiper Jr. ranks him as the fourth best cornerback for the 2021 draft of the NFL. Wade has been named an All-American by ESPN and The Associated Press, and he is OSU’s first winner of the Big Ten’s Tatum-Woodson defense of the year award.
Ohio State X Factor: Fields took a straight shot in the ribs from Clemson’s senior linebacker James Skalski, 5:57 before the second quarter. Skalski was ejected as a target, and Fields was slow to get up and appeared to be in pain. He missed a move before returning to throw a touchdown to wide receiver Chris Olave for a 28-14 lead over Tigers. He used extra padding on his left side for the rest of the game. Fields was treating a thumb injury, but he looked ready to go. Will the rib injury persist for the next 10 days before he faces Crimson Tide? It didn’t seem like that to throw six touchdowns against Clemson.
Ohio State will win if: They play like they played Clemson. They completely dismantled the Tigers in the Sugar Bowl, taking a 35-14 lead at halftime. Fields was in full control and used his running backs and tight ends to exploit Clemson’s defense. Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs has put together a great game plan to put pressure on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and the Buckeyes will also need to put pressure on Jones.
What’s at stake for the state of Ohio: The Buckeyes are 23-1 in coach Ryan Day’s second season. After waiting 34 years to win a national title, Ohio State could win their third since 2002. Defeated Miami 31-24 in two overtime to win Fiesta 2003 Bowl under Jim Tressel and then defeated Oregon 42-20 to win the first CFP under Urban Meyer in 2015.