If you’ve watched any amount of college football in the past decade, you know how traditionally exceptional Alabama has become. But the 2020 iteration of the program, which is striving for a fifth title since 2011, might be the most dominant of the dynasty.
A perfect 12-0 record. A 29.2-point average margin of victory. And three of the top-five Heisman finalists (including the winner).
In Monday night’s national championship game, No. 3 Ohio State serves as college football’s last line of defence, attempting to cut No. 1 Alabama’s storybook ending one chapter short.
Here are four storylines to follow entering the game:
Can anyone handle the Heisman?
Last week, DeVonta Smith became only the fourth wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since its inception in 1935. The award usually goes to the best quarterback or running back in the sport — as it had the previous 22 years. So yeah, Smith was just that good.
In 12 games, Smith hauled in 105 catches for 1,641 yards and 20 touchdowns. Ohio State has been devouring hours of film on him, to be sure, but can anyone slow him down?
On eight occasions this year, Smith had at least 130 receiving yards. He’s only dipped under 60 yards once, in a blowout win over Arkansas, but he still had an impact with an 84-yard punt return touchdown.
Ohio State’s pass defence has allowed 281.1 yards/game this year, which is 116th of 127 NCAA FBS schools. Yikes.
But the Buckeyes do feature All-American cornerback Shaun Wade, who figures to match up with Smith. This past week, when asked about facing Alabama’s lethal receiving corps, Wade said, “You already know who I want to go up against.”
Umm, OK. Good luck, Shaun.
Oh, and it’s possible that Crimson Tide receiver Jaylen Waddle (questionable, ankle) will be available, which almost seems unfair. Waddle posted 120-plus receiving yards in each of the first four games this season before sustaining an injury on the opening kickoff of Alabama’s fifth game.
Can Fields play himself to No. 1?
The NFL’s “Tanking for Trevor,” campaign, a nod to draft-eligible Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, has been in effect all season. But after Ohio State’s Justin Fields outdueled Lawrence in the Sugar Bowl, there’s a chance Fields could play his way to becoming the No. 1 draft pick in April.
Part of that chance involves the employment status of ex-Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, who’s in consideration for the head coaching job of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Meyer reportedly met with the Jaguars, who hold the top draft pick, on Friday.
Meyer missed out on Fields during the class of 2018 recruiting process, but he might be partial to the Ohio State star now. Here’s how Meyer described Fields’ “incredible transformation” as a passer, after the Buckeyes’ season opener this past fall:
“(Our staff thought) he was a runner-thrower. That couldn't be further from the truth. He's been developed into an elite thrower that happens to (have) electric speed and (be an) electric athlete. He's incredible.”
Could Fields-Meyer be the next Kyler-Kingsbury? Perhaps. A couple of sizable “ifs” remain, the first of which involves Fields’s ability to put together an all-time performance on Monday.
Battle of the backs
Did you see Trey Sermon go out of his away to scoop up some confetti after Ohio State’s win over Clemson? If not, take a second to watch this:
Trey Sermon REALLY wanted that confetti pic.twitter.com/r8L0xkwDIn
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 2, 2021
After an 0-3 bowl record at Oklahoma, the graduate transfer was clearly savouring the victory with his new team. In his past three games, Sermon has run with the purpose of someone trying to win a national championship.
Against Michigan State, Northwestern (Big Ten Championship) and Clemson (Sugar Bowl), Sermon rushed for 636 yards (9.1 yards/carry) and four touchdowns. Truly monstrous.
On the other side, Alabama’s Najee Harris has put up staggering numbers all season. The fifth-place Heisman finisher led the nation in total touchdowns (27) and was third in rushing yards (1,387).
THIS NAJEE HARRIS HURDLE #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/3qiYJq9wPi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 1, 2021
These running backs have game-breaking potential, but they’ll be up against a pair of the NCAA’s stiffest run defences. Both allow an average of just 3.2 yards/carry, while Ohio State is second in rush yards allowed per game (89.1) and Alabama is 13th (110.2 yards/game).
Sermon and Harris are seniors with eyes on the next level. This is their chance to finish strong.
Buckeyes have been spoilers before
Alabama and Ohio State have matched up in the College Football Playoff once before. In 2014, the format’s inaugural year, the No. 4 Buckeyes upset the top-ranked Crimson Tide as 9.5-point underdogs on their way to a national title.
That game featured a boatload of future NFL talent, from Ezekiel Elliott and Michael Thomas to Derrick Henry and Amari Cooper. An 85-yard touchdown run by Elliott sealed the win for Ohio State, and is probably still burned into the memory of some Alabama fans:
In this year’s rematch, the Buckeyes enter as 8.5-point underdogs. That might be generous, given that Alabama has beaten all but one of its opponents by 15-plus points.
Of course, national championship games exist in the anything-can-happen realm. And we’ve seen Ohio State pull a similar upset on a similar stage — albeit with a different cast of characters.
