For four straight years, we have seen Clemson and Alabama meet in the College Football Playoffs. For the third time in the last four years, Clemson and Alabama ran onto the field, each hoping to earn another national title. These two teams have dominated college football for many years now, but only one can come out on top and be awarded the championship trophy. Some die-hard fans’ predictions cannot always come true as junior Tristan Gentile foretold, “I think Alabama will beat Clemson and be the National Champions. Alabama has played well all year and has a good quarterback.”

 The Alabama Crimson Tide has always played on a whole different level than most teams in college football. After the University of Alabama hired Nick Saban as the head coach, he transformed the Crimson Tide in just a two year period. He built the program up and has established a record-breaking and unstoppable team and program for around twelve seasons now. With Alabama’s intense practices and recruiting process, they are a remarkable team and will continue to perform well going into next season. The Clemson Tigers came into the season with former quarterback Kelly Bryant who was told by coach Dabo Swinney that he would no longer be the starting quarterback. He was replaced by Dabo Swinney, with freshman QB Trevor Lawrence who led the Tigers to now an undefeated season of 15-0. Lawrence has been titled this season’s freshman sensation and led his team against Tua Tagovailoa’s Crimson Tide and became the first true freshman to win a National Championship since 1985.

 Recently, Clemson’s star defensive line player Dexter Lawrence, along with two other players, were declared suspended for the rest of the season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. Clemson missed him during the championship, and their strength was tested against Alabama’s insanely strong offense and their ability to establish a running game. But with the versatility of the other defensive players, including Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, and Austin Bryant, Clemson had no reason to fret. The Clemson Tigers have numerous outstanding players, from running backs to wide receivers and defensive linemen. They are fun to watch as they were able to make incredible plays and get their fans riled up. The question for Clemson going into this game was, can Dabo Swinney finish his tenth season off with a second national title at Clemson? Yes, he can, and he did!

 Alabama came into the championship game with a game-winning, history-making attitude. Nick Saban’s team is well-rounded and can dominate any team that they come in contact with. They established a powerful running game, and they have an awesome quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Born and raised in Hawaii, Tua chose to play at Alabama and soon he replaced quarterback Jalen Hurts. With players like senior running back Damien Harris and sophomore wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Tua was surrounded by the best players in every position and with machine-like abilities.

 The Clemson Tigers beat the number one team in college football Monday night, with a 44-16 beatdown. They proved their worthiness and truly lived up to their reputation. Clemson established a dangerous game as cornerback A.J Terrel kicked things off two minutes in the game with a pick-six. Clemson could not have done it without the leadership of Trevor Lawrence who was steady and extremely effective; he passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns. As soon as the game clock struck 0:00, emotions poured out of every player as the confetti fell, after the dream they have been working towards had just come true.