It's no surprise to see a rematch of last year's College Football Playoff National Championship, as both Alabama and Clemson are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. The matchups in this game will pit some of the best in college football against each other on the biggest stage.
The position unit matchups will be important, particularly putting pressure on the quarterbacks -- the Crimson Tide's Jalen Hurts and the Tigers' Deshaun Watson. But the individual matchups within the big battles will go a long way toward determining the next college football champion.
Here are the five best individual matchups:
1. Clemson WR Mike Williams vs. Alabama CB Marlon Humphrey
These teams played last year in the title game, but it's not a rematch for Williams, who missed all but 14 snaps last season after suffering a neck injury in Week 1. He'll see plenty of Humphrey, who is a fellow potential NFL first-round pick. Humphrey is a good player, and his 84.1 overall grade ranks 31st among the nation's cornerbacks, but he has been susceptible to big plays during his two years of action at Alabama. The redshirt sophomore has given up 16.9 yards per reception over that two-year period, and he allowed a touchdown against Washington in the CFP semifinals.
Williams is in the first-round mix because he is capable of winning at any level of the field, but he's especially dangerous running the vertical route tree, where his body control and ball skills allow him to win on down-the-field or back-shoulder throws. Only 19.1 percent of Williams' targets were in the deep, 20-plus-yard range, but he caught 48.1 percent of them, good for the 11th-best rate in the nation.
Williams has almost a perfect 50-50 split with regard to which side of the field he lines up, so he'll be out wide about half the time. Humphrey plays left cornerback on 92 percent of his coverage snaps, so we should see this battle about half of the time when Clemson has the ball.
2. Clemson DT Dexter Lawrence vs. Alabama C Bradley Bozeman
Pro Football Focus's first-ever "Rookie of the Year," Lawrence stepped right in as a true freshman to impact Clemson's defensive line like few freshmen in recent history. Our play-by-play grading goes back only to 2014, and we have seen only two true freshmen interior defensive linemen graded among the top 30 in the nation before this season. Then, in 2016, we had a pair in Lawrence and Houston's Ed Oliver. Both players tied for ninth in the nation at 87.6 overall, with Lawrence grading at a well-balanced 85.9 as a run defender and 85.3 as a pass-rusher.
Lawrence will play over the center, where Bozeman took over for departed first-round pick Ryan Kelly and more than held his own, with an 82.6 overall grade that ranks 10th in the nation. This will be a great battle in the run game, as Bozeman is stout and Lawrence plays with strength and block-shedding ability beyond his years. In the pass game, Bozeman has surrendered only seven pressures all season, so even a couple of wins would look great for Lawrence in their battles.
3. Alabama LB Reuben Foster vs. Clemson run game
The Alabama run defense is among the nation's best annually, armed with a plethora of strong defensive linemen and hard-hitting linebackers; but this year, the Tide might have the best linebacker of the Nick Saban era in Foster. He can do it all, from blowing up blockers to using his agility to avoid them to dropping into coverage, and it has all added up to the top overall grade among the nation's linebackers this season at 93.3.
Foster's ability to slow down the Clemson running game, led by RB Wayne Gallman and QB Deshaun Watson, will go a long way toward solidifying Alabama's chance at a repeat. Gallman has forced 51 missed tackles, good for 16th in the nation, while Watson has forced 29 misses on 137 carries. Clemson didn't turn to Watson nearly as often in the designed running game this season, but he's still a weapon, and using him as a run threat helps to even the numbers advantage against a stout Alabama defensive front. That leaves Foster to do his usual work of slipping blocks and flying to the ball, so keep an eye on his ability to stay clean and finish plays against Gallman and Watson.
4. Alabama WR Calvin Ridley vs. Clemson CB Cordrea Tankersley
The Alabama offense has been even more reliant on the run game this season, but it will look to get the ball down the field to Ridley off play-action. He has caught nine of his 25 deep attempts, after catching 8-of-20 a year ago, and he should see plenty of Tankersley, who splits his time evenly on both sides. Tankersley has the No. 6 grade among the nation's cornerbacks at 87.4, and he has allowed a passer rating of only 37.7 into his coverage, fourth best among corners with at least 50 targets.
On paper, the Alabama passing game appears it could struggle, in part due to QB Jalen Hurts' inconsistency -- but also due to players such as Tankersley residing in the Clemson secondary. Tankersley is yet another first-round hopeful playing in this game, and if he does his part against Ridley, the Alabama offense will have to rely solely on the running game to move the ball.
5. Clemson DE Clelin Ferrell vs. Alabama LT Cam Robinson
Just as Clemson defensive end Kevin Dodd made a name for himself down the stretch last season and eventually was drafted in the second round by the Tennessee Titans, Ferrell has put his name on the board with his recent play, including a star performance in the semifinal against Ohio State. He had a sack, a quarterback hit and two hurries to go with three run stops against the Buckeyes, and his emergence has been a huge factor for a Clemson defensive line that has lacked a true edge presence all season. (The Tigers have been playing with 300-pound Christian Wilkins on the edge for much of the season.)
On the other side is the much-heralded Robinson, who is the Outland Trophy winner and projected first-round pick. He has never really lived up to the hype on the field, grading at 73.6 overall this season, good for 92nd among the nation's tackles. Robinson has improved in pass protection this season, but he is more boom or bust in the run game, where a great block might be followed by a whiff. He had his struggles at the point of attack against Washington. Ferrell's emergence against Robinson's hype will be one of the top matchups to watch.