No. 1 Alabama will look to advance to its fifth national championship game in six seasons on Friday night when it squares off against No. 4 Notre Dame.
No. 1 Alabama will look to advance to its fifth national championship game in six seasons on Friday night when it squares off against No. 4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl.
The game will be played in Arlington, Texas, in front of a limited number of fans, a significant break from its traditional site of Pasadena, Calif. due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last time these two teams met came in 2012-13 when Alabama trounced Notre Dame, 42-12, to claim what was then the school's third BCS title in four years.
How to Watch:
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Location: AT&T Stadium
While quarterback Mac Jones and running back Najee Harris have been integral parts of the Crimson Tide's undefeated attack, there might not be a player more important to their team in the country than Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Smith, a senior, leads the FBS with 1,511 receiving yards and 98 catches and ranks second with 17 touchdown receptions. In his team's most important games he starred, recording 24 catches for 401 yards with four touchdowns in victories over Texas A&M, Georgia and Auburn.
On Tuesday, Smith, who is nominated for the Heisman Trophy, became the first wide receiver to win the AP College Football Player of the Year award.
“Probably one of the most selfless guys that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach in terms of whatever he can do to help the team he wants to do,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “The guy is one of the most popular guys on the team and also one of the leaders of the team that everybody looks up to because of the example that he sets every day and how he goes about his work.”
For Notre Dame, much of their success on Friday night will be determined by the play of quarterback Ian Book. Book is the winningest quarterback in the school's history, going 30-4 throughout his tenure. He also ranks second in school history in career passing yards, touchdown passes, rushing yards by a quarterback and total offense. He'll look to have a successful day through the air and set up a rushing attack that is poised to attack Alabama's run defense, which has been relatively stout this season.
Under head coach Brian Kelly, Notre Dame reached the BCS Championship in 2012-13, falling to Alabama. While in the years since the Fighting Irish have climbed into the AP top 5 in five different years, Notre Dame is still eyeing another national title.