College Football

2016 College Football Playoffs: Who Can Stop Alabama?

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:13 a.m. ET

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Nov 26, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Ronnie Harrison (15) and linebacker Tim Williams (56) celebrate their tackles behind the Auburn Tigers line during the third quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated the Auburn Tigers 30-12. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Pretty much every fan knows the situation. It’s Alabama against everybody else in the 2016 college football playoffs coming up in a few weeks.

The defending national champions have been on a roll for months. They haven’t lost a game since September 19th of 2015. Much of this is thanks to one of the best defenses maybe in NCAA history. Nick Saban’s unit has pitched two shutouts and allowed more than 20 points just twice. They have allowed single digit points in four other games and have given up a total of 18 points in their previous four games. This includes matchups against ranked LSU and Auburn.

It really does feel like Alabama winning their fifth national championship since 2009 is inevitable at this point. That’s how dominant they’ve been. Is there any team looking ahead to the playoff that has a chance to stop them?

No if there is one obstacle that might have a chance of stopping another Tide roll to a championship, it’s the other traditional power that has reawakened in recent years.

Ohio State is one of the few programs in college football that can match Alabama for superior talent. However, their biggest advantage is the man leading the way. Urban Meyer is on a similar footing to Saban, having won three national championships with two different schools. He also holds a dead even head-to-head record with the ‘Bama coach, including the most recent victory in the Sugar Bowl two years ago.

It seems a foregone conclusion that both teams will be in the playoffs following the round of conference championship games. It then becomes a matter of when they go against each other. No doubt many fans would love to see that rematch and quite a few are probably hoping the Buckeyes can find a way to derail the Crimson Tide machine from winning yet another title. The thing is if they can’t, then nobody will.