2021 College Football Playoffs Preview: Alabama vs Ohio State

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Quarterback Justin Fields of Ohio State, will have to make a difference if the Buckeyes want to be champions.

Nick Holt and Sean Levonaitis

Taking place in the home of the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, the two best teams in the nation, Alabama and Ohio State, will duke it out one last time for the National Championship.  It has certainly been a difficult year to succeed, losing players and coaches due to Covid-19 and its protocols, but both OSU and Alabama have been able to overcome their setbacks to get them to the final destination.  

Both teams will have to stay poised, led by two of the best coaches in the nation, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Ryan Day.  The top teams must stick to the schedule they have been running all season, which has proven successful.

Alabama 

Easily the best team in America, Alabama just has to continue to do what they have been doing all year long.  With two heisman finalists on their roster, Quarterback Mac Jones and Wide Receiver Devonta Smith, Bama has been unstoppable all season long and will only get stronger.  Alabama expects to have Jaylen Waddle back for the championship game, a top 5 Wide Receiver who has been out all year due to a fractured ankle.  The two WRs will certainly make life easy for QB Mac Jones who has looked great all year, shooting his own NFL draft stock through the roof this year.  All Jones has to do is not turn it over, and get the ball to his playmakers Smith and Waddle, along with running back Najee Harris, who has looked stellar in his career in Tuscaloosa.  Though, not to overlook Bama’s defense, led by Dylan Moses in the middle, they will need to contain Justin Fields, who’s coming off of the best game in his career, throwing for 6 Touchdowns against Clemson in the semi final.  They will also need to cool off running back Trey Sermon, who has been Ohio State’s safety blanket when the tough gets going.  Alabama’s defense will have a difficult task, but Mac Jones and Nick Saban’s offense certainly can make up for any failure.

Ohio State 

Coming into this year, the Big Ten football conference was not sure if they were going to have a season. Unlike other conferences who played the normal amount of nine to ten games, the Big Ten was only able to schedule six games which seemed to keep the players more fresh and make them want every game even more. When Ohio State heard the news the season is on, they did not let their foot off the gas averaging 43.3 points per game from their spectacular offense. Having one of the most talented quarterbacks in College football, the junior Justin Fields, the Buckeyes are not being cut short of defeating the super team of Alabama. Right behind their stud quarterback is the newly added to the roster. The transfer from Oklahoma and the starting senior running back for the Buckeyes, Trey Sermon. Coming off his two best games of the season, one where he set the record for Ohio State’s Single game rushing yards, Sermon looks to continue to stay on fire as he meets the powerful defense of the Crimson Tide. Although the Buckeye backfield is a problem, that is just the start of the Ohio State’s offense with Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Demario McCall. In order for the Buckeyes to win, the defense needs to play one of their best games of the year. By keeping the running back Alabama, Najee Harris within the tackles and stud wide receiver and Heisman finalist Devonta Smith in front of the defensive backs, Ohio State will have a higher chance. The Buckeyes will just have to limit the big plays the Crimson Tide’s skill players are able to produce. With Shaun Wade on the perimeter defending the passing game, and Jonathan Cooper and Pete Werner playing the run, the 2021 college football championship game is going to be a game to remember. 

The game is scheduled to kickoff on Monday, the eleventh of January at 8:00 P.M. Eastern time. Currently Alabama is favored by seven and half points according to the Las Vegas odds. Considering the last time Ohio State was the underdog, they decided to play with a chip on their shoulder. This game is a must watch for all sports fans.