Alabama advances to the national championship game in the football college playoffs

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The best-ranked Crimson Tide advanced to the national football championship at the College Football Playoff, defeating the Fighting Irish semifinal on Friday with a fourth-place finish 31-14 in the Rose Bowl semifinals.

Alabama (12-0) will face either Clemson no. 2 (10-1), or No. 3 Ohio State (6-0) in the championship game. Clemson and Ohio State play in the other semifinal, the Sugar Bowl, in New Orleans.

The Rose Bowl semifinal game was moved from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, due to restrictions on the Covid-19 pandemic. The game was moved because the families of the football teams could not have participated in the game in Pasadena. The turnout announced at Arlington on Friday was 18,373.

“I’ve played here (AT&T Stadium) before,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “I think this is one of the best places in college football. I don’t think there’s anything like the Rose Bowl. The tradition, the scenery, the mountains, it’s just a phenomenal experience to play in the Rose Bowl. I wish our players had this time, but at the same time, these people have done a phenomenal job in the transition from the Rose Bowl to here. “

Alabama was led by offended finalists Heisman, Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith. Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Smith, the first wide receiver to win the Associated Press Player of the Year award, caught seven passes for 130 yards, tying a Rose Bowl record with three touchdown catches. In addition, Najee Harris rushed to 125 yards on 15 transports and had 30 receiving yards.
The four finalists of the 2020 Heisman Trophy come from Alabama, Clemson and Florida

Notre Dame (10-2) ends the season with back-to-back losses, with the other coming to Clemson in the ACC title game.

Irish coach Brian Kelly did not seem to enjoy reporters’ questions after losing once again in the college football playoffs; Notre Dame lost 30-3 to Clemson in the semifinals two seasons ago.

“We’re not leaving,” Kelly said. “Great year. It’s not where we wanted it. We wanted to win a national championship. But the nation of Notre Dame, you can sleep, you can recharge your battery and we’ll get back to this position. So you don’t have to jump off a bridge, a building. We will continue to work, we will rededicate ourselves out of season, back to the weight room and we hope to return right here in Dallas next year. “

The national championship game is scheduled for January 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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