Alabama and Ohio State reached the College Football Playoff in very different ways.
The Crimson Tide navigated 10 games in the Southeastern Conference before winning their conference title game. There were some minor hiccups along the way with coach Nick Saban testing positive and a close call against Florida. An easy win against Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl put them in their fifth title game in seven seasons of the playoff.
The Buckeyes took a different path. They started almost a month later than Alabama after the Big Ten reversed its decision to cancel the fall season.