Alabama breezed through the regular season and its College Football Playoff semifinal, overcoming a scare in the Southeastern Conference championship game to reach its expected destination.
Ohio State wasn’t exactly a shoo-in with its abbreviated schedule but proved it belonged in the playoff with a semifinal thrashing of Clemson.
The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide traveled different paths to get to Monday’s national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium near Miami, but both had to navigate the challenges of a pandemic-altered season.
“I know this has been a little bit of a trying year for a lot of folks,” Nick Saban, the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s coach, said Monday.
It’s not a finale that could be taken for granted. No. 3 Ohio State’s odyssey included an abbreviated Big Ten season with three games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, including the Buckeyes’ own outbreak.
“This team, this program, we persevered through so much,” Ohio State running back Trey Sermon said. “To have the opportunity to play on such a big stage, it means a lot to us. We’ve been through a lot. I mean, we fought to just play, and just to be able to get the job done, to make it to this level, it just means a lot to us.”
The Tide (12-0) advanced with a 31-14 win over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, played in Arlington, Texas, not southern California, in yet another example of just how different this season has been.
Before that, Alabama navigated 11 straight SEC games, including wins over three teams ranked among the top 11 before facing Notre Dame. The Tide also won the Iron Bowl against Auburn with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian — who will take over Texas after the game — running the show while Saban was sidelined by COVID-19.
Monday’s game is a rematch of a semifinal game in the first College Football Playoffs six years ago. Ohio State (7-0) won that meeting on its way to the national title.
There were questions whether this Buckeyes team deserved to be in the player, but Ohio State routed favored Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, erasing sentiments that another Tigers-Crimson Tide title showdown was all but inevitable.
If Smith shared those expectations, the Alabama wide receiver kept them to himself.
“I mean, I’m not part of the committee, so I have no say-so in who they put in and who they wanted to put in,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, we just show up here, practice, and get ready for whoever the next opponent is.”
Here’s a look at each team’s path to the title game:
Alabama
Overview: Has mostly coasted into the title game with few challenges, outscoring opponents by an average of 48-19 points. The Tide ranks second nationally in scoring offense, behind only Kent State, fifth in scoring and sixth in total offense.
Best regular season win: While the win over No. 5 Texas A&M looms largest now, then-No. 2 Alabama rallied from a halftime deficit against third-ranked Georgia with 21 unanswered points in a 41-24 win.
Toughest hurdle: Florida. The Tide withstood a second-half rally attempt to beat the Gators 52-46 in the SEC championship game. Najee Harris scored five touchdowns, three receiving and two rushing.
Best player: Smith has shattered Alabama and SEC receiving records with a season that has made him a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. Smith caught three touchdown passes against Notre Dame.
Ohio State
Overview: Like many teams, Ohio State faced major obstacles during the pandemic. First the Big Ten canceled fall football. After an about-face, an abbreviated scheduled led to questions about Ohio State’s inclusion in the playoff. The Buckeyes validated the decision, going up three touchdowns by halftime against Clemson.
Best regular season win: 42-35 win over No. 7 Indiana, a victory that lost some of its luster after the Hoosiers fell to Mississippi in the Outback Bowl. The Buckeyes withstood a challenge after giving up two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter.
Toughest hurdle: The Buckeyes silenced the naysayers with a 49-28 win over Clemson and Lawrence.
Best player: Fields looked like a Heisman contender much of the season, before a lackluster performance in the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern. Then he outshined Lawrence with an impressive, 22-of-28, 385-yard performance when he set a Sugar Bowl record with six touchdown passes.