COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEMIFINAL CAPSULES
ROSE BOWL
No. 1 Alabama (11-0, No. 1 College Football Playoff ) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1, No. 4 CFP), Jan. 1, 4 p.m. EST
LOCATION: Arlington, Texas (game moved from its traditional location of Pasadena, California, due to California’s ban on spectators at sporting events during the pandemic)
COACHES
ALABAMA: Nick Saban, 168-23 (163-23 excluding vacated wins) in 14 seasons at Alabama, 259-65-1 (254-65-1) in 25 seasons overall.
NOTRE DAME: Brian Kelly, 102-38 (81-38 excluding vacated wins) in 11 seasons at Notre Dame, 273-95-2 (252-95-2) in 30 seasons overall.
TOP PLAYERS
ALABAMA: QB Mac Jones, 3,739 yards passing, 32 TDs, 4 INTs, 76.45% completions; RB Najee Harris, 1,262 yards rushing, 24 TDs plus 32 catches for 316 yards and 3 TDs; WR DeVonta Smith, 1,511 yards receiving, 17 TDs, CB Patrick Surtain Jr., 32 tackles, 10 pass breakups, 1 INT; LB Christian Harris, 68 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 ½ sacks, 6 quarterback hurries
NOTRE DAME: QB Ian Book, 2,601 yards passing, 15 TDs, 2 INTs, 64% completions plus 430 yards rushing and 8 TDs; RB Kyren Williams, 1,061 yards rushing, 12 TDs plus 27 catches for 282 yards and 1 TD; LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, 56 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries; S Kyle Hamilton, 56 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 1 INT
NOTABLE
ALABAMA: Making sixth playoff appearance in last seven years after missing out last year. Crimson Tide won CFP titles in 2015 and 2017 seasons. Saban also led Alabama to BCS national titles in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
NOTRE DAME: Making second playoff appearance in last three seasons.
LAST TIME
Alabama trounced Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS championship game on Jan. 7, 2013. Notre Dame leads the series 5-2, with six of those meetings occurring from 1973-87.
BOWL HISTORY
ALABAMA: Owns a 42-26-3 bowl record, including playoff championship games. Has won four of its last five postseason games, including a 35-16 triumph over Michigan in last year’s Citrus Bowl. Making its seventh Rose Bowl appearance, but first since a 34-14 victory over Southern California on Jan. 1, 1946.
NOTRE DAME: Owns a 19-19 bowl record, including a 33-9 victory over Iowa State in last year’s Camping World Bowl. Making second Rose Bowl appearance. Beat Stanford 27-10 in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1925.
SUGAR BOWL
No. 2 Clemson (10-1, No. 2 College Football Playoff ) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (6-0, No. 3 CFP), 8 p.m. EST
LOCATION:
New Orleans
COACHES
CLEMSON: Dabo Swinney, 140-32 in 13 seasons OHIO STATE: Ryan Day, 22-1 in two seasons
TOP PLAYERS
CLEMSON: QB Trevor Lawrence, 2,753 yards pass, 22 TDs, 4 INTs, 69.2% completions plus 211 yards rushing with 7 TDs; RB Travis Etienne, 882 yards rushing, 13 TDs plus 44 catches for 524 yards and 2 TDs; WR Amari Rodgers, 69 catches for 966 yards and 7 TDs; LB Baylon Spector, 62 tackles, 9 ½ tackles for loss, 3 ½ sacks; CB Derion Kendrick, 16 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 1 INT
OHIO STATE: QB Justin Fields, 1,521 yards passing, 15 TDs, 5 INTs, 72.6% completions plus 274 yards rushing and 5 TDs; RB Trey Sermon, 675 yards rushing, 3 TDs; WR Garrett Wilson, 38 catches, 621 yards, 5 TDs; WR Chris Olave, 36 catches, 528 yards, 5 TDs; CB Shaun Wade, 21 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 pass breakups
NOTABLE
CLEMSON: Making sixth straight playoff appearance. Tigers won CFP titles in 2016 and 2018 seasons and lost championship game in 2015 and 2019 seasons.
OHIO STATE: Making second straight playoff appearance and fourth overall. Buckeyes won inaugural CFP title in 2014 season.
LAST TIME
Clemson beat Ohio State 29-23 in a Fiesta Bowl CFP semifinal last season. Clemson also beat
Ohio State in a 2016 Fiesta Bowl semifinal and leads the series 4-0.
BOWL HISTORY
CLEMSON: Owns a 25-21 bowl record, including playoff championship games. Lost 42-25 to LSU in last year’s CFP championship game after beating Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal. Making its third Sugar Bowl appearance and seeking its first Sugar Bowl win. Lost 7-0 to LSU in Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1959, and fell 24-6 to Alabama in a Sugar Bowl semifinal during the 2017 season.
OHIO STATE: Owns a 25-26 bowl record, including playoff championship games. Making its sixth Sugar Bowl appearance. Has won its last three Sugar Bowl appearances, including a 42-35 triumph over Alabama on its way to winning the CFP title during the 2014 season.