If Alabama beats the Tigers to win a fourth civic appellation in seven seasons, the altercation may be settled.
There was allocution aboriginal in the division afterwards Alabama absent to Mississippi that the Tide absolutism was in decline. Now Alabama (13-1) is one accomplishment abroad from an aberrant achievement.
The Tide can become just the third academy in academy football's poll era, dating aback to the conception of The Associated Press media poll in 1936, to win four championships in a 10-year span.
Notre Dame won four in seven seasons from 1943-49, but big-time academy football is hardly commensurable now to then. Those Fighting Irish didn't play in basin amateur and never bare added than nine victories to be the best in the country.
Miami won four championships in nine seasons (1983-91), but none of those teams had to play added than 12 games.
Alabama's four championships beneath Saban, who took over in 2007, accept all appear in at atomic 13-game seasons.
''I mean, it's incredible,'' Clemson drillmaster Dabo Swinney said Sunday during a account appointment with Saban. Swinney aggregate so abundant acclaim on his analogue during the half-hour affair with reporters that Saban looked a little uncomfortable.
''Coach Saban, what he's done, I mean, he's one of the greatest coaches that anytime accomplished the game,'' Swinney said.
Saban aswell has a BCS appellation from his time at LSU, giving him four overall. Only above Alabama drillmaster Bear Bryant with six has more.
''This is the aboriginal one I've sniffed as a coach, and he's traveling for his fifth,'' said Swinney, who is in his eighth division at Clemson. ''It's incredible.''
Clemson has one civic championship to its credit. Behind Danny Ford, an Alabama built-in and above Tide amateur for Bryant, the Tigers won the appellation in 1981 by assault advantaged Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
The Tigers are aback on the bigger date and afresh getting led by an Alabaman and above Tide player. Swinney grew up abreast Birmingham and played for Alabama if Gene Stallings was the drillmaster in the aboriginal 1990s. He was on the Tide aggregation that won a civic championship in 1992, abashing Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama afresh went through a continued dry spell until Saban arrived.
''People will say, well, anybody can go win at Alabama,'' Swinney said. ''Not everybody can drillmaster a abundant team. Not everybody can drillmaster a abundant player, and I anticipate he has a allowance to be able to do that.''
Under Swinney, the Tigers accept won at atomic 10 amateur anniversary of the endure 5 seasons, just like Alabama. And Clemson has its own attempt at history: If the Tigers win the civic title, they would become the aboriginal aggregation to accomplish a 15-0 season.
''We wish to be a affairs that is aggressive at this akin on a constant base and I anticipate to do that, you've got to be a top-10, top-15 blazon affairs year in and year out,'' Swinney said.
Alabama has been even bigger than that. Since traveling 7-6 in Saban's aboriginal season, the Tide is 97-12 and has never accomplished out of the final AP top 10.
No surprise: Saban has not been allotment of the bequest allocution this week. Pondering his abode in history will not advice his players Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium.
''I owe them as the baton of the organization,'' Saban said. ''I owe them our best as coaches and humans who can abutment them to accord them the best befalling to be acknowledged in the next claiming that they have.
''So I've got no time to anticipate about that stuff.''
Some added things to apperceive about the additional Academy Football Playoff civic championship game.
DESHAUN FOOTBALL: If Clemson is traveling to exhausted Alabama and breach down a barbaric Alabama defense, Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson will advance the way. The green is the a lot of accomplished quarterback Alabama has faced and he poses a blackmail active and passing.
Watson set the Atlantic Coast Appointment mark for absolute breach with 4,731 yards, 1,032 of those advancing on the ground.
Dual-threat quarterbacks accord a lot of defenses agitation and Alabama is no exception. Watson said in alertness for the Tide, he watched Alabama's accident to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M in 2012.
Watson ran for a career-best 145 yards in Clemson's 37-17 Orange Basin semifinal accomplishment adjoin Oklahoma.
HEISMAN HENRY: The Crimson Tide acclimated Heisman Trophy champ Derrick Henry, who has set Southeastern Appointment annal for hasty yards (2,061) and touchdowns (25), as a adulatory allotment of its breach in assault Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl.
Henry had 20 carries for 75 yards. Don't be afraid if the Tide goes aback to a abundant dosage of Henry, who agitated 90 times accumulated in the final two approved division games, to advice ascendancy the alarm and accumulate the brawl abroad from Watson and Clemson's up-tempo advance offense.
HOLD THE LINE: Alabama's arresting band is the best and centermost in academy football, led by All-American A'Shawn Robinson. The band has helped the Tide advance the nation with 50 sacks.
Clemson has some accomplished arresting linemen, too, admitting not absolutely as abounding as Alabama. That abyss could be activated because All-America arresting end Shaq Lawson sprained his knee adjoin Oklahoma and absent a lot of of the Orange Bowl. He is accepted to play, but how much? And how able will he be?
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