Tide, Buckeyes to settle it all in strangest season
MIAMI — Trying to figure out which of Nick Saban’s Alabama teams is best is akin to picking Michelangelo’s greatest work of art or Ernest Hemingway’s best novel. Each is excellent in its own way.
The first to win a national championship came in 2009 and is still the only Alabama team to finish unbeaten under Saban in 14 seasons of unprecedented dominance.
The 2011 national champions had maybe the greatest defense of college football’s modern era of highpowered offenses. The current Crimson Tide team has one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the sport.
“Every team is different. Every team has its own personality,” Saban said Sunday. “But it’s hard to compare teams.”
The topranked Tide
( 120) are set to face No. 3 Ohio State ( 70) on Monday for the College Football Playoff championship in search of their sixth national title with Saban as head coach.
The final game of this taxing and strange season played through the coronavirus pandemic is on schedule to take place at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, as planned. Because of the virus, which caused the postponement or cancellation of nearly 130 games, nothing has been guaranteed this season. But Alabama arrived in South Florida on Friday and Ohio State got to town Saturday.
The usual daybeforethechampionshipgame news conference with the coaches was held Sunday morning via Zoom. No sharing of a stage, posing with the trophy or staged handshakes this year.
“It certainly has been a strange road to get here,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said.
The Buckeyes faced the prospect of no fall football at all when the Big Ten postponed in August, and then they managed to get in only six games before making the playoff. Day acknowledged last week that Ohio State was dealing with new coronavirus cases.
There was even concern early last week that the game might be postponed.
If the Buckeyes upset Alabama to win their first national title since 2014, they will have played the fewest games of any champion since Minnesota finished 80 in 1941.
Alabama had only one game postponed this season; it was because of virus issues within the LSU program. Saban tested positive for the virus — twice. The first time it was deemed a false positive after further testing, and he was able to coach against Georgia. The second time he had to miss the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
Otherwise, the Tide dynasty has rolled along as close to business as usual as possible considering the circumstances.
“Our team has shown a lot of maturity and perseverance throughout the season,” Saban said. “We told our players basically the team that shows the maturity to be able to handle disruptions is going to have the best chance to be successful in the end, and consistency in performance is always a key to success, and that perseverance has shown up in the way we’ve been able to play with consistency.”
And consistently great against an unusually difficult schedule. Facing 11 SEC games and Notre Dame in the playoff, the Crimson Tide have won by an average margin of 29 points. Only one game was decided by fewer than 15.
Alabama’s offense features five AllAmericans, including Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, a wide receiver, and two more players ( quarterback Mac Jones and running back Najee Harris) who finished in the top five in Heisman voting.
“This is a great offense. It is a complete offense,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. “They have great players, but they also have a great scheme and they understand how to attack defenses. People have tried numerous different things against them, and they always have an answer.”
Another title would give Saban seven, including a BCS title with LSU in 2003, breaking a tie for the most all time with Alabama’s other coaching great, Paul Bryant. The Bear won six championships in 25 years.