Ohio State vs. Alabama: Start time, live stream, TV, info, and more

The #3 Ohio State football team (8-0) takes on the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) in the 2021 CFP National Championship Game presented by AT&T on January 11. Both teams are playing for much more than a trophy.

Viewing Information:

Date: Monday, Jan. 11 | Time: 8 PM ET

Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

TV: ESPN | Live Stream: ESPN App

Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor

Weather: High of 75, low of 70, cloudy.

Storylines:

The Ohio State football team is coming off of an extremely satisfying win after stomping Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, 49-28. The entire team and coaching staff felt disrespected after Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney ranked the Buckeyes 11th in his Coach’s Poll Ballot. Can Ryan Day and Ohio State be just as motivated to play Bama as they were to play Clemson?

Day has mentioned the team’s goal was never to just beat Clemson but to win the whole thing. Alabama, and people related to the program, have offered some bulletin-board material to get the Buckeyes pumped up and angry.

Bama Head Coach Nick Saban’s daughter, Kristen, posted a now-deleted tweet claiming Ohio State was faking their COVID-19 issues in order to give Justin Fields more time to recover after suffering a rib injury on Jan. 1 against Clemson.

Alabama OL Alex Leatherwood also sparked some fire in Ohio State’s eyes during a press conference when he said “We’re going to step up to the challenge and see if they want to play football.” 

A National Championship is always the ultimate goal for Ohio State football, and after so much chaos throughout the summer and early fall, it seemed unlikely that the Big Ten would even be playing a season.

Fast forward to New Year’s Day, after the Sugar Bowl win, Ryan Day expressed how amazing and meaningful it would be if the Buckeyes were able to take home another trophy, “Now we’ve got an opportunity to win the whole thing, and then you’ve got an opportunity to write one of the best stories in college football history.” 

In Tuscaloosa, the expectations are just as high. A National Championship is the only expectation for the Crimson Tide year-in-and-year-out. The Tide have won 17 National Titles, most in FBS history. Five of those 17 titles have come since 2009 under Nick Saban, who can break the record for most championships by a head coach. Former Alabama coach Bear Bryant and Saban are currently tied for most all-time with six each.

The Tide have two Heisman finalists on their team in QB Mac Jones and superstar WR DeVonta Smith. It was Smith who won the award, becoming the first WR to win the Heisman in 30 years. Alabama’s offense is explosive, averaging 48.2 points-per-game, which is the highest point-average in power-five football.

There is a possibility that Alabama may also have WR Jaylen Waddle available for the game, as he is recovering from an ankle injury suffered in late-October. Saban described Waddle as a “game-time decision.”

Both defenses do well defending the run game, but two of the best RB’s in college football will be going head-to-head in Trey Sermon and Najee Harris. The secondary for both teams do struggle, as both teams allow over 240 passing yards-per-game.

However, both do keep opponents from finding the end zone too much, as both teams allow 21 points-per-game or less. This will be a match-up of two very similar teams and may come down to who plays the cleanest game or could be won or lost with special teams.

Speaking of special teams, there are rumors that Ohio State may be without some key players on the special teams unit. There will be at least one, possibly two, starting defensive linemen out for OSU due to COVID-19 concerns, but nothing will be confirmed until the team releases its availability report at 7 PM on Monday.

We do know that Justin Fields will be good to go for the game. He returned to practice on Thursday after being limited with his rib injury. This will in all-likelihood be Fields’ final collegiate game and will look to give Buckeye National one final game that will live forever in Ohio State lore.

Ohio State has won eight National Championships, and two since the turn of the century. This will be the Buckeyes’ first trip to the title game since beating Oregon in the 2015 title game- which also featured a Heisman winner in Ducks’ QB Marcus Mariota.

Series History:

Alabama leads the all-time series 3-1. Ohio State won their last meeting on Jan. 1, 2015, in the CFP Semi-final at the Sugar Bowl. The fourth-seeded Buckeyes beat one-seeded Crimson Tide, 42-35 en route to winning the first championship under the current playoff structure.

Odds:

Alabama currently sits as a 9-point favorite over Ohio State, with an over/under of 75.5, according to ESPN.