Alabama and Ohio State Advance to College Football Championship

Alabama and Ohio State advanced to the College Football Championship with rather easy victories in their semifinals on New Year’s Day.

In the Rose Bowl, played at Arlington, Texas due to Covid-19 issues in Pasadena, Alabama jumped off to a 14 point lead over Notre Dame in the first quarter on the way to a 31-14 win for the Crimson Tide. Alabama QB Mac Jones passed for 297 yards and four touchdowns, three of which were to WR DeVonta Smith. Najee Harris rushed for 125 yards on 15 carries for the Crimson Tide, who advanced to the championship game for the fifth time since the current College Football Playoff format began in the 2014-15 season. Alabama has won it twice, in ’15-’16 and ’17-’18.

The other semifinal at the Sugar Bowl, matched Ohio State and Clemson in a matchup of two great college quarterbacks in the Tigers’ Trevor Lawrence (the odds on favorite as the #1 overall draft pick in this year’s NFL draft) and the Buckeyes’ Justin Fields. Lawrence completed 33 of 48 passes for 400 yards, and two touchdowns, but it was Fields who stole the show. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns as the Buckeyes romped to a 49-28 win. Ohio State running back Trey Sermon had a monster game as well, rushing 31 times for 193 yards and a touchdown, and catching four passes for 61 yards. Chris Olave and Jeremy Ruckert each caught two of Fields’ TD passes. No doubt the Buckeyes were fired up about Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s comments about how he ranked Ohio State at #11 in the coaches’ poll. Usually, players are warned by coaches about not talking trash like that so it was unusual for a head coach to come out with that comment, and it sure blew up in his face. Ohio State advances to the championship game for the first time since 2014-15, when the Buckeyes won it all.